What to know before floating with this threatened species.
On a cool, overcast morning in Crystal River, Florida, groups of wetsuit-wearing tourists snorkel in the steely water of King Spring. They float with colorful pool noodles under their arms; heads pointed down into the murky abyss.
My husband, son, and I swim among them, slowly doggy paddling behind our guide as brown bits of detritus—likely manatee poop—meander past my snorkel mask. Suddenly, a gray lump appears in front of me, and I backstroke with my hands, so I don’t run into the manatee’s mottled backside. Soon, we’re surrounded by 10-foot-long leviathans weighing up to 1,200 pounds. I try to make myself very small every time one comes up for air an arm’s length in front of me.
“It’s been a hot minute since there were this many manatees in King Spring!” says Casey Fredette, a guide with Manatees in Paradise.
Fredette estimates there are between 30 and 40 manatees surrounding us in the bay—more than enough for every snorkeler to get a view of these gentle, curious “sea cows” that spend up to eight hours a day eating seagrass. Manatees can’t survive in water colder than 68 degrees because they lack the thick layer of blubber that insulates other marine mammals. So, every winter between November and March, they congregate en masse at the headwaters of the Crystal and Homosassa rivers, which are fed by 70 natural springs that pump out thousands of gallons of 72-degree water year-round.
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It’s exciting to be in the middle of a manatee melee but also a bit nerve-wracking. I worry I’ll accidentally get between a mom and a calf or that my teenage son will panic, stand up, and step on one. Crystal River is the only place in the U.S. where it’s legal to swim with this threatened species, which is why we’re here. But should people take the plunge?
Should You Swim With Manatees?
The short answer is yes—if you know how to swim and can follow the rules.
“Swimming with manatees promotes awareness of manatees and their habitats,” says a spokesperson with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “People who swim with them are more likely to support manatee and spring conservation.”
Our guide, who holds a master’s in wildlife conservation (with an emphasis on manatees), agrees that observing them in their natural environment connects tourists to the marine mammals in a more personal way, which turns them into manatee advocates. He credits tourism with helping to save the species, which faced an extinction crisis in the 1970s when only a few hundred remained.
“Today, years into our industry connecting people to the manatees, the population has rebounded significantly,” he says.
In 2017, manatees were downlisted from endangered to threatened after their numbers swelled to over 6,000. The most recent count, in 2024, showed a Florida manatee population of 8,350.
Other efforts that have helped boost their numbers include education and guidelines for protecting manatees, such as protection zones in coastal waters to reduce and prevent collisions between manatees and boats. Florida also established the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in 1983 specifically to protect them.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it’s illegal to hunt, shoot, pursue, or otherwise harm a manatee. Though these actions seem like no-brainers, there are other off-limits, human-initiated behaviors that swimmers need to understand prior to donning a wetsuit and taking a dip in manatee territory.
Manatee Manners
Before getting in the water, we watch a “Manatee Manners” video that preps us for observing manatees in the wild. We learn it’s also illegal to feed, touch, or even follow manatees; basically, anything we do that changes their behavior is unacceptable.
That’s one reason all swimmers wear wetsuits—their buoyancy makes it difficult to dive down to the manatees. If they approach us, though, it’s ok. We just need to remain still, calm, and keep our hands to ourselves.
“The manatees run our tours,” says Fredette. “If they want to leave, we let them. We give them space, and we stay aware of how they react to our presence.”
Boat captain Jake Bauer emphasizes other points not covered in the video.
“It’s very important that we don’t kick our feet,” Bauer says, looking directly at my splashy teenager. “Be calm and quiet, like the manatees. We’re in no rush. We practice passive observation.”
All of these tips come in handy during our second float with manatees. Bauer guides the boat slowly to one of the canals near Three Sisters Springs while Fredette keeps a lookout for “paddle prints” in the water that indicate a manatee ahead—a practice to avoid colliding with them when they come up for air. (Many of the manatees we see have visible scars on their backs from run-ins with boat propellers. The boat we’re on has a caged propeller for additional safety).
We join a group of six other swimmers floating near a mama manatee and her calf. The water here is crystal clear, and it’s easy to see the pair, keep a respectful distance, and enjoy the heartwarming moment when the baby comes up for air, its adorable whiskered snout breaking the surface for a few seconds.
While most visitors abide by the manatee rules, there have been bad actors. Bauer tells us about a man on a jet ski who threw his kid into the water to “ride a manatee” a few years ago, and Fredette says it’s not uncommon to see unguided tourists diving down to try and touch a sleeping or resting manatee, or chasing a moving manatee through the water.
This is one reason the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends visitors book a guided experience with a company authorized to conduct tours in refuge waters. Tour operators provide critical education about the creatures, including the rules and guidelines for swimming with them.
Other Ways to Interact With Manatees
For those not interested or able to swim with manatees, there are alternative ways to see them. Companies offer kayak and paddleboard tours, or visitors can rent watercraft from one of the many outfitters and paddle on their own to view them in the refuge’s waterways.
Another highlight for us is walking the accessible trails and boardwalk at Three Sisters Springs, where the official “manatee count” is 200 the day we visit. From designated lookouts, we watch them swim in the aquamarine water, their flippers and paddle tails propelling them in and out of the springs with surprising speed. Others lounge in docile groups, surfacing every few minutes for air.
It’s a similar experience at the Ellie Schiller Wildlife State Park in nearby Homosassa Springs, where we have a manatee viewing pavilion to ourselves, directly above a mom and her calf resting in the clear water.
When we leave Crystal River, we’re manatee conservation converts. Observing these gentle giants doing their thing—blissfully unaware of the dangers they face—has made us painfully aware of how our actions, big and small, can impact wildlife.
