We had a great experience swimming with the manatees! The whole experience was smooth from start to finish. Liz was a great in water host. She made sure everyone in our family saw a manatee. She even noticed our 9 year old lagging behind. She pulled him along and helped him see some babies. Peter was a great Captain. He got us there safely and was very knowledgeable. You can tell they both love their jobs! They give you hot chocolate to warm up after getting out of the water.
Some practical tips, you don't need to bring anything on the boat except your towel. Bring clothes to change into once you get back to home office. They will give you a locker to store things.
Our 9 year old was a little nervous in the water due to the size of the manatees. He went back early to the boat, along with 1/2 our group. They were slightly unnerved by the size. The water was murky enough that you couldn't see them coming, they just appeared. Liz took us for a second lap and we saw so many manatees. So many manatee interactions-my mouth was muddy from all the kisses!