We LOVED our trip. We must have really lucked out, as we were the only two on our boat, which made for a great experience. I had read that the early tour was recommended, but we still had great experiences with the 10am tour.
The office is a bit hard to find within the marina, but we asked the friendly people at the bait store and they directed us. We arrived and put on our wetsuits. It was really cold that day (the high was 60), so it was nice to get dressed in the office, instead of out on the water. The wetsuit was plenty warm in the water, and I get cold easily.
It's a short boat ride to the manatee reserve area. Captain Ron is very respectful of the manatees, being very careful while in the area. Once there, we put on masks and snorkels (good quality) and got in the water. Our guide instructed us to stay still and let the manatees approach us. They were able to instruct us when to interact with the manatees and when to stay still. The water is very shallow, and you aren't supposed to kick (too noisy), so no fins were given.
The interactions with the manatees were incredible. The babies come up and play with you and bump into you. All of the operators in the area are very respectful of the manatees, which is important. We really loved this trip and would do it again with Ron on our next visit to Florida.