We are just finishing up our week-long vacation at the Crystal River Plantation. A few days ago my husband and I had one of the coolest experiences when we took a tour swimming with the manatees. We booked the tour through the resort's Adventure Center.
Our tour guides, John and Ray, were great! They are licensed tour guides and certified divers, and shared a lot of interesting facts about the area . The water is a cool 72 degrees, so we were given 5 mil wet suits to wear, which were a life saver for me because I am very small (5' tall and 100 lbs.) so I get cold very easily. The heavy wetsuit made a huge difference for me and was grateful to swim in comfort. They also provided snorkel masks, but my husband and I have our own full-face covered snorkel masks and fins and chose to use our own gear.
Just minutes after leaving the channel and coming into open water, we came across a very pregnant, very docile manatee. We got into the water and observed her for about twenty minutes....truly amazing experience.
We swam in the springs and interacted with another manatee...I was nose to nose with the second manatee and that had to have been one of the coolest experiences I ever had! John took lots of pictures and video, and we are excited to get home to view them.
As the tour came to a close and we headed back to the Adventure Center, we were provided with towels to dry off and offered hot coffee or hot chocolate, which was a nice perk with the tour.
A couple of days after our manatee excursion, we went to Devil's Den, and again I requested a wetsuit. However, they only offered 3 mil wetsuits, and I could definitely feel the difference! I definitely did not enjoy being in the cold water in the lighter, less insulating wetsuit.
On a side note to this review, John had also made a recommendation that we visit the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. It's a beautiful, well-kept park with a boardwalk trail and many animal exhibits, including the world's oldest hippo in captivity, gators, flamingo, bear, and many native birds. It was well worth the $13 entrance fee and a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
I know there are many manatee swim tours offered in the area, but I feel that the tour offered through the Crystal River Plantation's Adventure Center was the best choice. The heavy wetsuits is the number one reason why I recommend their tours. If you consider all the other perks (licensed divers and guides, towels, hot chocolate and coffee), you can be certain to have a manatee experience you will never forget!