About Self Drive: Swim With Manatees On The Crystal River

Book Direct with the Owner at Self Drive: Swim With Manatees On The Crystal River with Tourism Bookings in Crystal River, for all your Attraction and travel needs.

Itinerary

Drive yourself to the Crystal River, and when you arrive, you'll join a team of manatee experts for a narrated boat cruise on the picturesque river, home to one of the world's largest populations of endangered West Indian manatees. These large, docile aquatic mammals (sometimes called "sea cows") are under threat due to loss of habitat.

You are encouraged to put on the provided mask and snorkel and go for a swim with the manatees while under the guidance of certified dive masters. Manatee season is October to March. Sightings are very common, however as the animals are wild, no guarantee that youâ€™ll see a manatee can be made.

Stop At:

â€¢ Manatee Tour and Dive, 36 NE 4th St, Crystal River, FL 34428, USA

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OPERATES

Tuesday and Friday - April to October
Tuesday - November to March

INCLUSIONS

Swim with manatees
Cruise on Crystal River
Mask and Snorkel
Local taxes

EXCLUSIONS

Gratuities
Mandatory Wetsuit rental (US10.00+ tax)
Transportation to Manatee Swim

ADDITIONAL INFO

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum age is 3 years
We recommend that you bring:
Towels
Bathing suit
Suntan lotion
Insect repellant
Underwater Camera / video camera / film
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
Post COVID-19 Safety Updates - We politely request that you refrain from taking this tour should you start displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or if you are at a high risk of contracting the disease. All driver/guides will be required to wear masks. Face masks are recommended but not mandatory, so please bring your own if you wish to wear one. All safety guide lines regarding vehicle sanitation will be followed.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff

DEPARTURE & RETURN

36 NE 4th St, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA

TERMS & CONDITIONS

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

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Overall Ratings

4.1 based on 10 reviews

Reviews

Explore246789 5
25 Jan 2022
If you like Manatees you must this tour!!! Go between November 15th thru February for the most manatees to be visible. We had a baby calf and mama experience that is almost indescribable
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Ashley_B 5
09 Jan 2022
Tanya was such a great tour guide! We had so much fun, I had the coolest interaction with a manatee and I can’t wait to go again!
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expressionsaveda 5
16 Apr 2021
First we LOVED EVERYTHING about our tour!!!!! Our guide LAURA was FABULOUS!!!! Even if we didn't get to see or swim with MANATEES she made it such a wonderful time. Our boat driver was GREAT also they work so well together and both were so FUN. We DID see and swim with several MANATEES IT WAS SO AMAZING - we did a semi private tour well worth the money. We are planning our next trip in July to do a SCALLOP tour and we will be asking for LAURA again. The enter staff from start to finish were so professional and kind - couldn't and wouldn't to this with another company!!!
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Elizabeth_F 2
06 Apr 2021
Unfortunately only 3 of us were able to arrive on time. One party of 6 had two car sick kids in the car and had to keep stopping. The Manatee dive was unable to accommodate a boat for the 12 of us at 10 am so we were out of luck for the trip.
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Kathy_P 5
23 Mar 2021
This was something my daughter and girlfriend had always wanted to do. Was a great experience. We saw a lot on manatees. The water was cold but the tour people said the colder the better. The boat driver and guide were fantastic!
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Veronica_C 5
14 Mar 2021
Alex and Matt were absolutely amazing my kids and I had a blast. Kids asked could we stay another day so we could swim again with the Mandatees. The guys were so knowledgeable ,you asked a question they knew the answer. Definitely a great time tons of awesome pictures were taken if us as well.
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Craig C 5
30 Aug 2016
Absolutely awesome experience that we'd love to repeat. Captain and crew were so knowledgeable and passionate about these gorgeous creatures and added bonus of swing over the springs. Big wow. relaxed but really professional. Wonderful.
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Ann 2
13 Sep 2014
First of all you float with the manatees, not swim. Next I think Viator should now that its seasonal, whether you see them, in our case were told that we could see them from boat, only a blur as the one only manatee that they new where it was was, a fair distance from the boat, and it was a very young one. The tour tried to fill in the time for the tour by taking us to see Turpin fish and a dolphin that had come into the river. This was the first tour I booked, and worked every thing else around the manatees, so we were very disappointed that that was all to see. It was also very hard to find where the tour was, when we drove ourselfs.
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Reesa O 4
08 Aug 2014
Our tour guides were very nice and professional...the manatees weren't plentiful, but we got lucky and were able to swim with 2 manatees which was very cool!
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Kevin S 3
11 Mar 2014
The folks at the boat launch were very nice. The boat ride was pleasant enough. The manatees were plentiful, but most were gathered in a restricted area behind ropes. The Park Rangers were a bit overzealous for no reason. It's understood that you can't cross the ropes and nobody did. But what is the harm in actually touching the ropes? Give me a break!. The narrow inlet to the Three Sisters Springs became a bit of a bottleneck as it was very narrow and some "divers" had a hard time walking through the current. We were also disappointed that we were charged an extra $10 each for a wetsuit when the website clearly said that it was included in the $49 fee. Actually, I'm not sure that the wetsuit was even necessary. Bummer that law forbids touching these strange, gentle animals, but understandable, I guess.
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