Swimming with the Manatees

Still not unpacked, but back out for another day trip.

Melissa and I and some friends headed just north to Crystal River for the afternoon to swim with the Manatees. We found a great tour operator and took a small pontoon out to Three Sister's Spring.

We saw a dozen Manatees swimming away from the Spring before we got in the water, so I was a little worried they might all be gone, but there were still plenty in the sanctuary when we got into the chilly water. Even with full body wetsuits on, the initial dip into the water took your breathe away.

There were seven to eight manatees, including a mother and child, that were patrolling the area. Melissa got a Manatee kiss twice and others came close enough that we could reach out and touch their skin and fell the prop scars on their backs.

We could only take the cold for so long, so eventually we shivered our way out of the water and each had welcomed mug of hot chocolate to help warm up.

We got a bonus dolphin tour on the way back to the marina as two very playful dolphins gave us a show.

Overall it was a great experience and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

P.S. Our camera stopped working right before we got into the water, so no pictures of the manatees, just a few rather entertaining pictures of everyone putting their wetsuits on, that I will refrain from posting.