First off, if you were thinking Summer is not a good time for a swim with the manatees, you would be wrong! We were very hesitant and did a ton of research before deciding to move forward with our booking. Their are lots of tour operators to choose from, however we decided on River Ventures based on their great reviews (more on that later).
Our tour took place on July 6. Though the early morning tour is preferred due to less crowds and manatees being more active, we went with the 9:15am tour as it was a 2 hour drive from where we were staying in Kissimmee. This proved to be a great choice as the manatees did not disappoint.
Upon arrival we were greeted at the office and welcomed in to hang out with their new dog, Grizzly. He was great with everyone. If you are not a dog person that is ok, as he will leave you be. We watched a 5 minute video on how to handle the manatees then were quickly fitted into wet suits, hopped in a shuttle for 2 minutes to the bay, and were assigned a boat with a captain and guide. We had one family of 5 with us, making it a group of 10 total with the guide.
We were very fortunate as we had Wade and Trish as our captain and guide. If you are allowed to make a request when booking your tour, we highly suggest this pairing.
After boarding the boat and setting off, we received some direction on how to swim (float!) with the manatees. Wade received a tip as to where we could see a mother with her calf, and as all boats went left, we went right. Within a few minutes they spotted the pair and we spent about 30 minutes watching and interacting with these amazing animals without any other groups in sight. From there we got back into the boat, went over to another area, and again were the only group in the water with another male, female, and calf.
With Wade at the helm and Trish being assertive in the water, they helped create the most amazing experience we could have ever imagined. Thank you both for contributing to the highlight of our trip (this tops Disney, Universal, or any other attraction you can think of doing in Florida). Well worth the money, and is a fraction of what you would spend at the other attractions. Skip the zoo, SeaWorld, and even Animal Kingdom, and go enjoy wildlife in its natural habitat.
I highly recommend having your own GoPro or similar action camera with waterproof case. We took the most spectacular videos which will help us remember this wonderful experience. However they do sell waterproof cases for your cell phone at the office as well.
Thank you to the entire River Ventures team!