When To Swim With Manatees In Florida

Whether you re on a solo kayaking trip or a manatee swim tour always mind your manatee manners look but don t touch.

When to swim with manatees in florida. 352 257 8687 top quality tour 8 00 11 30 am and 2 30pm daily manatee guarantee. There s only one place in florida where you can swim with the manatees in the winter and that s crystal river located about 90 minutes north of tampa on the west coast of florida. Guidelines and rules for how to swim with manatees in florida. Of course even though it is legal to swim with manatees in crystal river the manatees are still protected under both the endangered species act and the marine mammal protection act.

Manatees were once common throughout florida but their numbers plummeted in the 1960 s as construction boomed in the sunshine state manatees need undisturbed habitat and are extremely vulnerable to injuries from motorboats. Manatees are air breathing water dwelling mammals that can grow up to 12 feet long and weigh up to 3500 pounds. The headwaters of crystal river are known as kings bay where the water temperature is a consistent 72 degrees year round.