Classic Crystal River Manatee Swim Tour With Free Photos

If you're thinking about booking a manatee tour, honestly, look no further. From the second we stepped on board, we had nothing but fun. Our guide & captain were super chatty, friendly, and made everyone feel right at home straight away. You can tell they genuine love what they do, and their knowledge about the manatees and the local ecosystem was unbelievable. We learned so much while having an absolute laugh the whole time. Most importantly, we all had the best day ever. Seeing the manatees up close in such a respectful, awesome environment is something none of us will ever forget. Couldn't recommend these guys enough - 10/10, absolute highlight of our trip to Florida! We'll definitely be back next time we're in town.

My wife and I had an amazing experience with Crystal Lynn and Captain Jake. Both of them were extremely knowledgable and friendly. It didn't take them very long to find a mama manatee and her baby girl. We spent about 90 minutes in the water watching the pair forage for food. Baby girl took a nap or two but was gently nudged by mama to wake up! Crystal did a great job of keeping us informed and in great positions for observations and pictures. She took dozens of great photos. One of our favorite things we have done in florida. Highly recommend this company.

Crystal Lynn and Jake were awesome! We had the best time. Truly the most amazing and kindest people ever. We learned so much about the manatees and what an incredible experience to swim next to these beautiful creatures. It’s a must do experience!!

We had a great day and our Captain Jake and in water guide and photographer Crystallynne were both 5++ stars. They found us a manatee and we were the only 4 people viewing him. They were entertaining, knowledgeable, funny and professional. The whole package! We would go back again to Natures Discovery in a heart beat ❤️

Very cool experience, we will return. Chrystallynn and Tom were so informative and fun. So glad we went!

Crystal Lynn was our tour guide and she did such a great job! She was very interactive with us and got some great pictures! I would highly recommend this tour!

Had a wonderful time swimming with the manatees. Marika and Captain Henry were great guides who really went out of their way to make our experience memorable. Highly recommend

Guides were great and we saw manatees! My only star deduction is because the wetsuits were ill fitting and worn (especially for the kids) so half our crew couldn’t stay in the water because they were too cold. We scuba dive, so the importance of maintaining body temperature is key to a positive experience. Highly recommend more kids sizes and getting rid of old worn suits.

It was a blast. Our tour guide was extremely friendly and funny! She made sure we were hands on and got the best experience.

A wonderful experience top to bottom! Christalynn & Henry were excellent guides! They were extremely knowledgeable and were quick to find sone manatees to swim with! Would definitely recommend!

So nice, informative, and fun, fun, fun! Kaya was our guide and Evan was our boat captain. We were able to swim with THREE manatees! The water was murky and they moved fast, but Kaya and Evan did such a great job getting us with those beautiful beasts. Plus, bonus swim in natural springs! What an excellent experience for everyone. Can’t wait to do this again!

I wanted to take my nieces and nephew to do a true florida adventure and this did not disappoint. It was the groups favorite part of the trip. I have been on Mantee tours previously, but Nature's Discovery will now be my 'go to' for all future manatee tours. Mandy and Captain Evan were fantastic. Good combo of light hearted joking, education and fun. It was a delight and I'm so grateful we got to experience this.

Our captain took us to places he knew manatees were and stopped along the way to see dolphins. Once we swam for quite some time with the manatees, he took us to a natural spring where we got to explore that area freely and took some neat photos in the spring.

We absolutely loved this tour! Jake was our captain and Hudson was in the water with us and taking pictures. Both were very fun to be around and knowledgeable to the area. We had 4 adults and 4 kiddos and everyone had a blast! They found several manatees, including a baby and mama, and got us up close while respecting the wildlife and ensuring we didn’t bother them. They’re such amazing creatures 🫶🏻 We were even able to see dolphins playing and catching fish as a bonus! 10/10 recommend this tour and these 2 as a team for your adventure. They gave local food recommendations and were spot on. We would definitely do this again!

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Would definitely recommend or even go again! It’s a must do!!

Amazing guides and lots of fun!

Captain Henry and guide Hudson were amazing. Unbelievable lifetime experience. You can definitely tell that this tour service is locally owned and operated.

Our family had an amazing experience. We went in the off season, but Captain Henry and guide Hudson knew exactly where to look. They were all super friendly (captain, guide, and the manatees.) Awesome memory of being up close to a mama and baby. I highly recommend using them for a unique family experience and lifetime memory.

They were great!! Very knowledgeable, and fun to spend time with. Come see them, you'll love it

We went on the tour as a group of 11 and it was the best experience!! Trent was a great guide and did an amazing job of making sure everyone was safe and felt included. And Tom was a wonderful captain as well, completely smooth the whole way through. I would highly recommend checking them out if you haven’t!!!

We had a wonderful manatee tour with Trent and Jake! Both were super relaxed, friendly, and very knowledgeable. They took great photos and sent us nice, clear pictures very quickly after the trip. Highly recommend this chill and enjoyable experience! 😊

A unique experience that was enjoyed by all members of our party, from 9 year olds to 50 years olds. The price was extremely competitive, it even included loads of brilliant photos of us on the boat, in the water and with the manatee. The duration was about right for the experience and the tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable and respectful of the manatees and their habitat. I'm so glad I chose this tour as it can be a bit of a gamble choosing tour operators online, especially when they are selling pretty much the same thing but at vastly differing prices.

Great morning trip with guide Hudson and Capt Tom. Swam with Manatees in their natural environment. Saw a cool spring opening and had a great time! Excellent experience with this group!

Reid and Evan were great hosts and were very knowledgeable about the trip. Even though manatee season was technically over, we still saw a few of them and were able to get up close. We also had the chance to swim in a spring at the end of the trip. Great trip! Would do it again!

This was a fantastic experience! Right from the shop to the water we had a great day and saw plenty of Manatees and also a beautiful little baby manatee. We travelled from Australia and would highly recommend this company to do the tour! Thanks so much for an incredible day.

Great time, saw lots of manatee. Water was a little murky. Two mamas with babies. Great staff! Great trip!

This was such an amazing experience. We went early in the morning and lucked out with no one else having booked, so we were able to go at our own pace. It was a very fun, easygoing, and safe environment. Kaya was extremely personable and it was very clear she knew what she was doing and loved what she was doing. She found a mother and baby that we were able to spend most of our time with. Jake, the Captain, had a wealth of knowledge about manatees, the other wildlife in the area, and the area and river in general. He knew the perfect spots to look for manatees and kept the ride entertaining. I definitely felt that I got my money's worth and even more. I also appreciated the photos Kaya took so I could enjoy the experience while in the water and have keepsake memories. I plan on doing another manatee tour next time I am in Florida, and I will definitely be booking with Nature's Discovery again for it. It's a small company and you can tell they care about their customers getting the best experiences.

Meeting manatees face to face is unforgettable. These animals are so much larger than we thought. Swimming next to them and learning so much from our in water guide Hudson, about the animals and the bay we were snorkeling in. The pictures we received as part of the tour are going to keep this experience a beloved memory for my family. This is a local business that cares about the animals and the bay. We would do this excursion again!

Hudson and Evan gave us an unforgettable day. Evan found the manatees for us as we went on a short boat ride. Hudson was a fantastic in-water guide taking pictures and answering all our questions as we snorkled with 2 manatees. The cost was very reasonable for the experience we had. Nature's Discovery Manatee Tour is a local business that seems to love the area and the animals that live in the bay. Thanks for an amazing day!

Had a really awesome time out on the water. Evan and Hudson were extremely knowledgeable regarding not only manatees but also the local wildlife and area around; it was also great to be with tour guides who respected not only the animals but other the group tours too. Was able to swim alongside a manatee for a long time before checking out local springs in the area. We were also fortunate to see some dolphins! Would definitely recommend coming back and will try to swing back to florida during scallop season to do their scalloping tour

This experience was absolutely fantastic. We got up close with a number of manatees. The water was very murky but this didn't spoil the experience, we still got up close to them, in their natural habitat. Reid the tour guide was excellent and jake, the captain, was extremely knowledgeable and very funny! We will definitely return!!

A great privately owned company. The small group allowed for more individual attention. The whole crew was friendly and very knowledgeable. They were very aware of keeping the Manatees safe while giving us an amazing experience. Would definatly use this business again.

Overall Great Experience. Would recommend. Trent and Hudson and the Capt were awesome. Very knowledgeable.

Had an awesome time on our manatee excursion. Totally worth the time and money.

It’s a great experience the service was really good and I just had a good time all together

We loved Hudson (& his two trainees) and the boat captain! Great facility to get ready at (as well as the boat to accommodate us!). They were very kind and helpful with my four children! Which are major bonus points.

What an amazing experience! My family had a blast, and the tour guides and Captain was amazing! Highly recommend this excursion to anybody! Our tour guides were Reid, Hudson, Trent and Evan as the Captain! Thank you guys!

We had a great time. I liked how wetsuits were provided. Kaya and Captain Jake were awesome. They really knew what they were doing and were able to find us some manatees even though it was after their usual season (we went the beginning of April). They let us stay in the water with the manatees for as long as we wanted and helped guide us to where they were multiple times.

Amazing experience. Stopped along the way home after vacation in Orlando. Truly a once in a lifetime experience. Kaya and Jake were super informative, made the kids feel very safe and were extremely patient. Would recommend 1000%!!

Hudson and Evan were great! What an awesome experience for me and my kids. The entire adventure was filled with laughs, talks, manatees, and very intriguing.

We learned that Manatees hangout in clear waters during the winter months of Dec through Feb. March and April is when they get hungry and go to murky waters. I think nobody should go for manatee viewing (Snorkeling) in April because those murky waters are nasty as heck. Manatee poop floating everywhere along with other waste. We couldn’t see anything farther than few inches due to the nasty water. Not to mention we accidentally swallowed the water while snorkeling. The pics of manatee in crystal clear water is 100% marketing gimmick in March and April.

So much fun!! Jake and Kaya were amazing! They were kind and funny. Made all of us feel incredibly welcome! Highly recommend!

Amazing experience with Captain Jake and swim guide Hudson. Thanks, guys, for a memorable experience! Appreciate the free pics

Our family group of 10 had an amazing time. Swam and "hung out" with two different manatees. Our guides Hudson and Jake were a blast and very knowledgeable. We highly recommend this tour!

This was one of the best experiences and our tour guide Jaden was wonderful at getting my little one right at the manatee in the water. Our captain Evan was wonderful at tracking where the manatees were located to make the experience completely worth it! Core memory was made and highly recommend!

Our guides were super funny and super nice, the tour itself was amazing! It was magical to be able to swim and get so close to the manatees and learn a bunch about them from our guides. 10/10 would do it again

Hudson and Jake were great found manatees in 2 different places, one was a mom and baby we got to swim with for awhile. Absolutely great

We had a great time! It’s amazing how our guides found manatees! Would definitely do it again.

Amazing experience those guys are the best