Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Swim with the Manatees
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Old 01-14-2012, 08:15 PM
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renielarson renielarson is offline
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What company you rent a boat from is important. Some companies require you to rent scuba diving gear in order to rent the boats. We are not scuba divers and this was not an option for us. We are boaters and swimmers but not scuba divers.

I wish I could remember the name of the company we rented the pontoon from but I can't. It wasn't the best kept pontoon but it did the job and we were happy and it was cheap!

We took the pontoon out on the river and found the manatees. The manatees love to suck on the ropes hanging from the boats for some reason...I have no idea why. But they came up, grabbed onto the ropes and then we were able to "pull" them in...right up to us! From this vantage point, we laid on our bellies on the deck of the pontoon and could pet them. The grands on our boat were ecstatic to say the least!

We then went to the restaurant down river next to Monkey Island and ate while watching the monkeys play. It was an experience to remember...especially for our grandchildren.

I'd be willing to do an internet search to try to find the company we used if anyone is interested. Just let me know.