Private Manatee Swim Tour

Celeste was great!!! Very knowledgeable about aqua life and birds. She knew where the manatees were and we all got to see 4-6 of them. Our tour was early in the season for manatees coming into the bay. But I was very pleased.

This trip should be on your bucket list. Captain Steve, and Cory our guide were great. Very knowledgeable and patient. Cory made sure everyone got a view and was comfortable. Steve was a great Captain and was very friendly. I can't recommend this group highly enough!

We went in October so it was rainy and there wasn’t only one manatee to be found. It was still a really great time and awesome experience. Our guide Celeste was great. She worked hard at finding the one that was there so we could have that experience. I’m thinking about going back in December or January when there are more there!

Great experience and very knowledgeable

I loved seeing the manity we saw three liked the guide person they were cool.

We had an absolute amazing time. The staff was so knowledgeable. We worked with Dani who was so passionate and knowledgeable about everything that wewere learning about in the water. They put us right on top of manatees so we were able to swim right next to them. They also us to the springs where we were able to dive down and see so many other beautiful things. It was so worth the time and they provided all of the things that we needed for the day, including wetsuits and snorkel gear. All in all it was a great trip.

Sara and John were great tour guides and we were able to see 3 manatees in crystal clear water! It was good fun for the whole family and a fantastic way to learn all about manatees!

Fabulous Manatee experience

Captain Dirty Mike and his crew were fantastic!! I had the most amazing experience swimming with the manatees. They were informative and educational, and they knew exactly how to give us the best experience possible. They were patient while guiding us. The pictures we received at the end were incredible. Thank you!!!

We had a great time with Captain Steve B and our guide, Michele N. In spite of high numbers of people and kayaks, they positioned us so that we had multiple manatees swimming right under us. Our kids are ages 12-19 and they had a great time! Highly recommended!

I had booked with this company last year and had a great time, so I made sure to book for my trip this year. This trip we had Capt Steve and Sara. I brought 3 of my very best friends, and it was absolutely unforgettable! From the moment we checked in, to after, they were the vibes we needed. My friends have never done anything like this and Sara and Capt Steve took us to the perfect spot to maximize the memories we are taking home. Sara was patient with our struggling person, and turned it around for her. The conversations, the laughs, the stories, the memories. We will be talking about this for the rest of our lives! And will be planning our trip next year soon!

Our tour today with Reggie and Steve was simply amazing. Steve is a great captain, knowledgeable, personable and attentive. Reggie is a wonderful in-water guide, getting us close to the manatees, teaching us all about them, helping my children feel comfortable and sharing her pure enjoyment at being in the water with these beautiful creatures. She captured some great pictures for us to bring home and we will remember and cherish this remarkable day forever.

We had the best private swim with manatee tour! Family of 4 with my 87 year old Dad. Michele was our guide and was amazing! She was very knowledgeable about the area and manatees, and we learned so much. Our trip was more than we could have imagined! Seeing cows with their calf’s and having them swim right below us was incredible. Steve was our boat captain and together they were an awesome team! He knew exactly where we needed to go.

Steve was our captain, dani was our tour guide. Early December is the best time to go, clear water, and not too cold. Both of them were so sweet, super accommodating and were special. I wouldn’t want it to be with anyone else. They made my birthday the best one yet. Highly recommend.

My wife LOVES manatees! Swimming with manatees was her dream! Dani (guide) and Steve (captain) made her dream come true! They were so friendly and worked hard to track down manatees for us to swim with. They were always respectful of the manatees and made this a great experience for everyone involved. Dani took great care of my 6-year-old and 10-year-old who were more than anxious about swimming with the manatees. She also took great pics that we will cherish forever. When you come, ask for Dani and Steve, they are the best!!!

We couldn't swim but our guide Ross was so patient with us! Captain Glenn was hilarious and very knowledgeable. We had the most incredible time swimming next to the manatees. We'll recommend them to everybody!

Captain Glenn and guide Bri were so awesome! We were taken to the perfect spot at the perfect time and saw so many manatees!

Manatees were scarce the morning we went but Captain Steve and Captain John did everything to find us one and did succeed - but the waters were very murky. That was a bit disappointing but that's the way it goes. But unasked, they took some extra time for us and found a beautiful clear spot and found us a big sweet manatee who found me curious and I had a face to face encounter that I'll forever remember. Many thanks to Captains Steve and John. Private tour, 4 adults, 2 swimming. Perfect!!

Waterfront Adventures is awesome!!!…my family & I had a great time during our two Swimming with the Manatees private tours and The Sunset Cruise!!!…the 1st Swimming with the Manatees private tour was with Captain Morgan & Captain Glenn; they were so nice, informative, and easy-going-there were six of us from kids to adults & they made us all feel comfortable & relaxed (even those of us not as experienced in the water!)…we were so excited to see several manatees!!!…we spent about an hour in the water with them!!! The Sunset Cruise was with Captain Glenn & it was wonderful!!!…the cruise was relaxing & beautiful!!!…Captain Glenn is fun & easy to talk to-we had a great time & would luv to do it again!!! Our 2nd Swimming with the Manatees private tour was with Captain Morgan & Captain Morgan; they were both so friendly & fun-we had Captain Morgan as our guide both times-we Luv her!!!…she is an excellent guide-she is so sweet & intent on making sure we have a good experience…we were so excited to see a manatee up close!!!…it was amazing!!!…Captain Morgan also took a lot of of awesome pics for us to treasure!!! We didn’t know what to expect when we scheduled our Swimming with the Manatees tours, but were so happy with our amazing experience!!!…Thank you so much Waterfront Adventures!!!

Steve and Bree were amazing!! Super knowledgeable and great company on our private tour. They truly went above and beyond to make our trip memorable! 10/10 experience

Good trip, very friendly staff, and we really enjoyed it. Would recommend this yo anyone who wants to swim with manatees,

We had a really good time on our private manatee tour! Steve was our captain and Elizabeth was our guide, and they were awesome. They were very knowledgeable about the area and the manatee. They worked hard to find good manatee viewing spots. The boat was nice, they had towels and hot chocolate for us after getting out of the water. We actually were also able to see some dolphins. Overall, a very good experience that I would definitely recommend.

Steve and Liz were amazing guides—very knowledgeable and fun! 5MM wet suits were a game changer, very warm and buoyant. The private boat tour was the perfect family setting and the warm drinks were fabulous!

Captain Ross was a great water guide, got us on manatees for an hour and a half. Very knowledgeable and knew what to look for and how to keep us with the manatees.

Great experience. We are the first one there so we got to see the manatee by ourselves. Morgan is our guide and she’s super nice and accommodating with our two little girls. She even gave them a ride on her back as they were scared at first in the water. I highly recommend her and this place.

Everything from start to finish of the tour was incredible. We were welcomed with smiling faces into the shop and fitted for wetsuits then brought down to the boat we would be taken out that day. The three sisters springs were closed the day we went but our guide Morgan and captain glenn pivoted and took us to another spring that was full of manatees! Morgan was incredible at bringing us away from the other groups and she has a special way of bringing all the manatees around us. We were both hugged by a manatee which made the trip unforgettable. Thank you Morgan and Glenn for providing a safe and amazing experience for us! I would recommend this to everyone and anyone! What an amazing day!!!

Chilly Florida winter had lowered our expectations for a good time but we had a fantastic morning. Excellent orientation, thick wetsuits ( 5mm - anything less would have definitely made the experience less good) and friendly knowledgable boat captain and guide ( Andy and John) . Out to Kings bay where we saw so many manatees up so close....water a bit murky but didn't reduce the enjoyment! On to another site where the water was much clearer and manatees swam under us to enter a spring. Private heated boat with a toilet was a birthday present to myself - when we emerged from viewing exhilarated but chilly it was worth every cent! Tour ended with a trip around the bay looking at the sights and then we were able to buy a great set of videos and photos taken by John to remember the event.

We did the 6 person private tour. We had a blast!!! Our crew was Capt Glen and Capt Morgan (ha! no joke). The Manatee experience was amazing. They are so fun and gentle giants. The baby Manatee are curious and playful. They will come right up to you!. Capt Morgan was our swim guide and she was great. We had a 7yr old and a 9yr old. My 7yr old daughter was cold but Morgan encouraged her to at least see a few Manatee before going back on the boat. Once my daughter was done, Morgan took her back to the boat where capt Alan offered babysitting duty and he embraced it. He ensured the rest of the group had fun while keeping my 7yr old daughter comfortable and safe which I truly appreciated. Morgan took photos of us and the manatee and got some great shots. You do need to buy them when done if you want them but we thought it was well worth it. My only minor complaint is that I was under the impression we were to get a house boat that had a bathroom and was temperature controlled. We visited the 1st week in January of 2024 and It was a 45 F degrees outside. The winter months is the time to go because thats when Manatee migrate to Crystal River (There were hundreds!). The pontoon boat was enclosed and heated, however it would have been nice to have a bathroom on board which we thought we would have. You do get wetsuits and the water is a constant 72 degrees year round so it's not too bad. After the swim, the crew provided coffee, snacks, hot chocolate and Manatee Mochas! If we decide to swim with the Manatees again we would definitely do Capt. Mikes!

We had a wonderful time on our private tour! Our Captains were Jake and Tom. Tom drove the boat and Jake went with us in the water to instruct us. He was very personable and had lots of great information to share. You can tell he clearly loves what he does. His instructions and guidance were clear and easy to follow. We went on a day where there were few other tours going on, and the weather was not too cold. There were tons of Manatees in the water and following Jake’s instruction allowed us to experience a lot of interaction with the Manatees. They provided much thicker wet suits than the other tours provide which allowed us to stay nice and warm during the tour. Jake took amazing videos and pictures for us, so need to worry about doing it yourself. Just enjoy! We will definitely be going again at some point and will choose Captain Mikes for our experience.

Just returned from 10 days in Florida for the holidays, and the manatee tour was not only a highlight of our family trip, but also a highlight of our lives. We had three adults and two kids, ages 7 and 13. After checking in at the shop, we received a safety and informational briefing, which was helpful. It was important to me that we use a company that cared about and complied with all of the rules related to protection of the manatees. We were also given wetsuits, and I'm glad we did - we would have been far too cold to last long without them. I was pleased to see that they appeared to have a very size-inclusive selection. Then we had a very brief walk to the boat. Ron was our guide and we had Captain Tom at the helm. Both were exceptionally nice and genuine and knowledgeable, giving us a ton of information about the area, the waters, the manatees, and how to snorkel as we made our way out to two different spots to anchor and swim. When the 7-year-old decided she was done swimming (we did not expect her to last long in the water), Ron escorted her back to the boat to hang out with grandma and Captain Tom. Captain Tom chatted with her for hours, and she was quite content to talk with him and drink hot chocolate. The other two adults and the 13-year-old spent hours in the water with the manatees, enjoying every minute. We never felt rushed or abandoned - Ron was nearby all the time, flagging us quietly when he saw a manatee for us to check out. They seemed to flock to him. The 13-year-old felt very secure with his guidance, and having his calm energy nearby was helpful when she realized (with some alarm at first) how big the manatees actually are! While we were swimming, Ron was also capturing our experience on his GoPro, so there was no pressure for us to take our own pictures. We purchased all of the photos and videos he took, and we've already rewatched them several times. Swimming with the manatees is both an exciting and meditative experience. They are giant, but also cute, lethargic, and not scary at all. We did our best to avoid touching them, as instructed, but sometimes the manatees have other ideas. One chewed for a couple of minutes on the ribbon attached to one of our wetsuit zippers - incredible! Others seemed to rise up from underneath us like a submarine emerging from the deep. If you move suddenly or kick your feet, the manatees will avoid you. It was easy, though, to rely on the pool noodles to simply float calmly and use the snorkel gear for uninterrupted views under the water. I don't know how many manatees we saw that day. Many dozens, at least. They were everywhere. I can't recommend Captain Mike's enough. We wanted an affordable, safe, educational, and ecologically responsible tour where we could learn and experience something truly special, and that is precisely what we got. If you are on the fence about trying this tour, take the plunge. You won't regret it.

It was an unforgettable experience for all of us. The two crew members were very relaxed and very friendly, especially because one of us was scared and yet found the courage to go on the boat and even into the water, which was only topped by the fact that a manatee came to greet us and hooked himself in with his paddle. The equipment was brand new and the private boat was very spacious and comfortable. What I learned with the manatees is that the more passive you are, the more curious and active the animals become. Not forgetting the mighty tarpon that circled below us. In short: a particularly great day. Many thanks to the team! A few hot showers and a few more changing rooms wouldn't go amiss.

Our tour and the 2 men crew were wonderful. While 4 of our 5 people group had experience snorkeling, our 1 friend was terrified of the water in general. This was her 1st time on a boat, let alone in the water. Our guide John took her aside and confidently and gently helped her ease into this experience and she ended up loving it. We saw tons of manatees and fish of all sizes, even Bald Eagles nearby. The pontoon boat was nearly new, very clean and comfortable. It was a cooler day but the pontoon was warm and enclosed to keep the breeze out. We were offered coffee and hot chocolate and towels. Overall we highly recommend this business and give them 5+ stars!

It was an amazing experience with Captain John and Captain Russ. They found areas that did not have a lot of people so we could swim with the manatees and get much closer views. We were swimming right next to the manatees. The captains treated us very well, offering drinks (coffee and hot chocolate) while we were in transit to another point to swim. The website does say that you will be on a houseboat with a bathroom. That was not our experience, and we were on the 5 hour tour.