AFISHA LIFE
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Crystal River Manatee Swim in Kings Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Crystal River Manatee Swim in Kings Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Overview

Encounter the endangered West Indian Manatee in Crystal River’s idyllic Kings Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Your US Coast Guard licensed captains and guides will take you into the 600 acre spring fed refuge waters for viewing and snorkeling with these friendly, curious, slow moving gentle giants. All equipment, fees and beverages are included.

City: Crystal River

Tue 18 Mar

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $79.81

Make a reservation

Tue 18 Mar

Starting at $79.81

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Professional guide

Use of equipment (mask, snorkel gear and wet suit)

Beverages (bottled water, coffee and hot chocolate)

Introductory/instructional video offered in English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Adult pricing applies to all travelers
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wetsuits are available in all sizes from toddlers (2 years old and up) to adults up to 5X
It is advised that you have your swimsuit on underneath your clothes for a quicker check-in
Please bring a towel and a plastic bag to hold your belongings
Children under 3 years old are not allowed on this tour. Please call for other options.
Post COVID-19 Policy- We are mindful to thoroughly clean water vehicles between visitors.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (1000)

ericam076

Aug 2019

My husband, my two step-daughters and myself went on the VIP manatee tour. Everything from start to finish was incredible. The staff from the very beginning was super friendly, helpful & informative. Meeting Grizzely the dog was adorable and immediately calmed my teen step-daughters down as they were a little nervous not having done a tour like this before. We had a fantastic crew, (Capt. John Stark) and guide (Megan the Manatee whisperer). They were both friendly and really went all out to make sure we had multiple opportunities to swim with as many manatees as possible without being crowded by other tour boats. After swimming with several manatees in the beginning we headed towards the springs, what an amazing treat as we had the chance to see a dolphin glide right past the boat in a canal on our way. We explored the beautiful crystal clear springs and then headed back out to find and swim with more manatees, which we did!! I was a little concerned that my teen step-daughters would get antsy or slightly bored being that it was a 4 hour tour. I worried for nothing because they had such a wonderful time they were sad when it ended. I did purchase the USB of all of the photos and videos that were taken by our guide and I am so glad I did. The quality of the photos and video were perfect and now we can go through them anytime we want to reminisce about our lovely trip. We can not thank you all enough, all 4 of us had the best experience and will remember it fondly.

Zach S

Aug 2019

Signed in at the front desk and hung out in the gift shop until the designated time, then we were all lead into a room to get a quick "Manatees 101" presentation, including a video. Very informative. We went over the rules which honestly made it sound like there wasn't much change for real interactions - more of a close observation, than what pictures indicated. After the experience it's obvious that some people couldn't handle themselves, forcing rules to be strict... but that doesn't take away from the experience... PLENTY of interaction! On the tour itself our Captain (Mike) and Guide (Matt) were fantastic. Tons of good info and worked hard to ensure everyone had a great experience. It was also nice to see the crews in other tours helping eachother to make sure everyone had a good time. Water was a little murky, but plenty clear to see... apparently that's normal this time of year and when the manatees were eating and moving around on the bottom, they kicked up silt. We saw them eating, sleeping, and had a curious baby who played with all of us (and wouldn't leave some of us alone lol)... I think everyone got a little love from that baby and a big one farted on my wife... It was pretty amazing, honestly. We made a quick stop to check out a big spring and swim a bit, then headed over to the back of Charlie's Fish House where they were cleaning fish... they threw scraps in the water so we could watch the tarpon feed at the surface... then it was back to the dock to round out the tour. All in all, a great time. We decided before we even got off the boat that we're definitely coming back...

ally and kaitly... c

Aug 2019

I was very hesitant to go on this adventure, but I am sooo happy I went. Swimming with the Manatees was one of the most incredible experiences. So excited that our Manatee whisperer Trish and our Captain Wade was able to take us to the most perfect places to interact with them. Definitely worth the money and time to drive from Clearwater!!! Hope to go again next time!