Quote:
Originally Posted by ewstanley
We went several weeks ago. It was amazing. It was a very cold day and there were a lot of manatees out. They have two tours a day. They supply wetsuit, snorkle mask and fins. They will also videotape your encounter and you can purchase a copy of the DVD. I would highly recommend it. There are several tours out of Crystal River and we have only used Birds. I understand that there are others. I can still picture those friendly giants nudging me. You watch a video before you go out and can only touch the manatees with one hand. You are not able to disturb the manatees but they will come right up to you like a giant dog. I scratched their backs and they seemed to really enjoy it as much as we did.
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Before you touch manatees check the laws. This website will give you the information that you need.
http://www.savethemanatee.org/Tips.htm
Touching may be considered harassment under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
They are wonderful to watch. I've seen them several places in Crystal River & Homossasa. My tip is to go during the week, the week-ends can be VERY crowded.