Manatees and Rainbow River by SCUBA or Snorkel in Crystal River booking from $196.10

Manatees and Rainbow River by SCUBA or Snorkel

Overview

CRWS is proud to be a member of the Save the Manatee Club Guardian Guide Program, promoting responsible eco tourism with manatees. You will get to experience the two best attractions/tours in the area. You will start with a Deluxe Manatee tour break for lunch and then explore scenic Rainbow River. You will get to view some of the best of Florida's Nature Coast. You will have a boat tour of the area, swim with manatees and later snorkel or scuba down Rainbow river. Along the way you may see, deer, pigs, otters, dozens of birds, turtles, manatees, alligator gars, and more. Certified SCUBA divers can dive down Rainbow otherwise you may snorkel it.

City: Crystal River

Sun 22 Jun

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Starting at $196.10

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Sun 22 Jun

Starting at $196.10

Make a reservation

Molokai Tours

Top Activities (1)

What's Included

Bottled water

All taxes, fees and handling charges

Tour escort/host

Driver/guide

Use of Snorkelling equipment

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Snorkel gear provided.
Air/Weights included if scuba diving (dive certification card required)
Bring towels and appropriate clothing to warm up after swimming activities.
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
While we have always maintained a sanitary work environment, we have increased our cleaning efforts to comply with DAN recommendations fully. Divers Alert Network (DAN) – https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/news/dan-encourages-divers-and-dive-operators-to-properly-disinfect-dive-gear

What To Expect

Crystal River Watersports

You begin at the CRWS Marina and Dive Shop. We're the pink/yellow building located directly behind the Days Inn.

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Reviews (17)

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David S

Nov 2020

The guides were very professional and courteous, would highly recommend, our all day experience was one of the highlights of our trip

Response from Host

Dec 2020

Thank you very much for choosing Crystal River Watersports for your tour. The Manatees and Rainbow River tour is a fantastic way to see two amazing parts of the Nature Coast of Florida. The manatees in Kings Bay are known world wide, and for a great reason- they are incredible. Fewer people know about Rainbow River. Such a beautiful spot to snorkel, or dive. Although there aren't any manatees there, the multitude of turtles, fish, spring boils, birds and gorgeous scenery make it a very special place to visit. We appreciate you taking the time to write a review for us!

roberts95Aggie

Nov 2019

Had three great excursions with CRT! Manatee tour in the afternoon with Capt. Hailey and guide Dakota. Capt was extremely knowledgeable about local flora and fauna and got us straight to the manatees. Dakota was great getting us into the water and helping us stay right with the manatees. Manatee tour the next morning was with Capt. Katie and guide Don. Capt Katie was great to talk with while she took us directly to a large group of manatees. Don was awesome and really comfortable leading the group. Boat was super clean, gear was in good condition. Really liked having the inflatable vest instead of a pool noodle. I’ve done other snorkeling with a noodle and spent all my time fighting the noodle, rather than looking at the fish. Drift snorkeling on Rainbow river in the afternoon really made memories for us! Don was our guide and took care of everything! He’s led a lot scuba and snorkel trips on Rainbow, and showed us lots of cool features which I saw other groups go right past. Things like a huge school of Gar, places where the springs bubble out of the river bottom, turtles hiding in the grasses and small caves in the riverbank. Wish we could give this six stars!!

Response from Host

Dec 2019

I have goosebumps from reading your review! Thank you so much. I personally think we have the best staff in Crystal River, but I may be a bit biased. All of our team takes multiple training classes per year, and volunteer for manatee health assessments and rescues because we honestly love the manatees, and we enjoy sharing the knowledge that we share with our guests. Our shop also does safety training, and requires CPR/First Aid training- just so we are always prepared. I will make sure all of our staff sees your comments as I know they will greatly appreciate the kind words. Thank you for choosing us for your excursions, and for the review- we truly appreciate it. Sandi

717robp

Feb 2019

I contacted Watersports well in advance of my vacation. They stayed engaged until I drove out of the driveway. Great Customer Service. Professional and friendly. I recommend calling to getting information on Manatee population. They do move around depending on weather and water temps. Seems they head out to the gulf to eat when conditions are right. Due to the expertise of Don and Captain Robert, we were able to locate some of the gentle giants. Let's get to the Rainbow River Drift. What a ride this is. You take a boat upstream, and drift back to your vehicle. It's a one tank dive that takes just over an hour submerged. The water is clear, the different kinds of fish and turtles are out and about. Don was very familiar with all the nooks and crannies along the way. I think I saw a Gar wink at him. The head spings have pressure behind them, but some can be entered. This a fun dive, whether you are horizontal, vertical, sitting position, or even going backwards, you are drifting along with an experienced guide.

Response from Host

Mar 2019

Thank you for the fantastic review, we really appreciate it. Many of our diving guests love this combination of manatee snorkel and Rainbow River drift dive- as it allows them to see two different, unique and beautiful areas of Florida. The manatee's behavior is very temperature driven, and we are always happy to give an honest assessment of what to expect on your tour. Even on warm/hot days our experienced captains and guides can normally find several manatees to see and snorkel with- but as you pointed out- it varies by the day, temperature and whim of the manatees. If it is cold, we will see lots of manatees in the springs, but we do have a resident population of roughly 50 manatees that we see year round. I will pass along your kind words to both Robert and Don, I know they will appreciate it very much. Thank you for choosing Crystal River Watersports for your tours, and we hope to see you again soon.