Swim With Manatees: Eco-educational Tour In Crystal River

Leah and Ralph were amazing tour guides! They showed us the beautiful springs area and we found a momma and baby manatee that we got to spend a lot of time with. Ralph took photos of the whole tour and we were able to purchase our memories for a low cost

We went on a private, half-day tour to snorkel with Manatees. It was an amazing experience. Our guide and boat captain were amazing with the kids and even brought hot chocolate to warm them up. I highly recommend Crystal River Watersports!

We had a fantastic trip with Stephanie and Ralph. They gave us so much information about the local environment and about manatees while we were on the boat. They were just so interesting to listen too. I could have listened to Stephanie all day and Ralph did an amazing job capturing pictures of our swim. I would go out again with them in a heartbeat!

Captain Juan is the best! He was very safe, knowledgeable, personable, and accommodating. We had incredible manatee encounters with him at the helm. He is a fantastic guide and captain. Thank you for all the work you do to protect manatees! The rest of the staff at Crystal River Water Sports is great, too. I would highly recommend this company!

It was really beautiful. I like a lot how Leah and Dekota were very cautious and respectful with the manatees. Eco tours are the best ❤️

This company does a great job to make sure you get the best experience while being mindful of the needs of the manatees. We got up close and personal with them and spent about 2 hours in the water. It was a chilly morning but they did all they could to keep us comfortable and warm with blankets and hot chocolate. They take care of all of the photos so you can just sit back and take in the experience. Juan and Ralph shared knowledge of the area wildlife as well. So glad we took this tour!

We did a manatee snorkel tour and it was truly one of the best experiences we’ve ever had. Captain Juan and our guide, Ralph, were incredible—so kind, professional, and unbelievably knowledgeable. They taught us not just about the manatees, but about the entire ecosystem and history of the area. Ralph even brought bones and skulls to help explain what we were seeing, which made the experience educational in the best possible way. They knew exactly where to take us to find manatees in quieter, less crowded areas, which made the encounters feel respectful, peaceful, and absolutely magical. We had amazing interactions while always feeling like the manatees’ safety and comfort came first. If you’re considering a manatee tour, HIGHLY recommend Crystal River Watersports. This is the team you want—expert, thoughtful, and genuinely passionate about what they do. We would do it again in a heartbeat!

The boat captain and guide were excellent. I was surprised at how many people were there doing what we were doing. A great family outing

We had a great time and highly recommend this group for swimming with manatees in Crystal River! Juan and Leah were great guides, making sure our group had fun and were taken care of. The jackets and hand warmers were great when we got out. Hope to be back again, it was an unforgettable experience!

We are a Family of 4 adults and had a Manatee Tour. It was fantastic to swim and snorkel with the Manatees. Dakota and John, our tour guides, explained us the Environment, the nature and found good places for snorkeling with the Manatees. Thea have made it to a great experiance.

Everything was phenomenal from the greeting by the office staff until I left. Capt Jim and Guide Kat were great. They provided an educational yet fun trip. There was extra effort to bypass other groups and continue looking in multiple locations for manatees. We ended up seeing 5 or 6 in the water including a mom and nursing calf. A rescue/released manatee with a tag came to us and Kat took us away from it to let it be. They provided as ecologically friendly tour as possible for the manatees and their environment. “I’ll be back!”

We did the manatee snorkel tour with Captain Juan and Ralph. This operation is outstanding, small tour groups, not that huge cattle boats out there trying to find manatee. We had a blast and saw lots of manatee and have great pictures and memories. Cpt Juan was that standing, we are so much about manatees, the history come in the area. Absolutely amazing trip you must do.

Leah and the captain brilliant. Leah helped my wife all throughout the swim, as she can get panicky in water, She was snorkelling like a mermaid by the end. Main thing was we saw manatees, even if the water was not totally clear. Great experience for us and the granddaughter.

It was a great time and a wonderful experience. Captain Sandy and Yvette were great, very knowledgeable, and so friendly. They made the trip great! We got to see plenty of manatees and Yvette got some really good pictures and videos. Make sure you bring warm clothes and extra towels for the ride back. With the wind, it gets pretty chilly.

This was a very fun, but very chilly adventure with Cpt. Sandy and Dakota. We saw several manatees and learned a lot about them. We also saw a lot of birds and Sandy was pretty helpful in this. I would recommend this tour.

Be aware! The tour company never mentioned low visibility conditions. As a customer, we didn't worry about visibility when the business name is Crystal River Watersports, their website photos show pristine blue waters, and there had not been any rain or hurricanes that would have created low visibility. We are scuba divers (I also worked with a business taking customers out diving in the Gulf), and we understand that no one controls nature, still, any honest business has the responsibility to let customers know when visibility conditions are less than ideal. Long story short, staff was great! Manatee viewing was terrible. We had a maximum of 3 feet of cloudy visibility. The staff had to tell us when the manatee was swimming close by, otherwise we would miss it. We paid our bill and tipped $20 each crew member. We learned our lesson and will check visibility and recommend everyone else to do the same.

Will not forget this day, one of the best moments in my life. I was very nervous but Leah looked after me so well. Manatees are big gentle cheeky animals. Definitely one crossed off my bucket list. Would I recommend it? You bet ya I would!

We saw so many manatees and Yvette who was our guide and the rest of the staff did a wonderful job. We swam with dozens of manatees within reach.

We had a great time - manatees were not cooperating at first, but then we found some thanks to Sandy's and Mark's sharp eyesight! Highly recommend this your if you are interested in manatees!

You can buy better but you can't pay more! Skip the VIP tour...we paid over $700 and got about 30 minutes of snorkeling in cloudy water. They would point to manatees over there....none were up close and personal. At the conclusion, they were going to charge us over $40 for photos....I complained that wasn't correct for the VIP tour. So they emailed us 90 photos....70 were from someone else's tours....people we had never met. Our 20 were mostly green indistinguishable blurs. Big disappointment to my granddaughters and waste of time and money.

Captain Sandy and Captain Kevin did a wonderful job of educating us to the area and all about the manatees. Both were very informed and made our tour very fun. Overall the entire land crew and boat crew were awesome. We had a nice small group and everything was provided, even hot coco after our swim. We highly recommend this tour!

Leah and Captain Sandi exceeded our expectations. We have been on other manatee snorkeling tours but this, by far, was the best! We saw so many manatees! Leah shared a lot information about these beautiful creatures which made the experience educational, as well!

It was an amazing experience. Water was warm and clear. Responsible organization. Care about the manatees. Heather was our guide and Kevin our captain. Both wonderful.

Great experience! Saw many manatees. Our Captain and Guide were very informative. Thank you Kevin and Mike. Checked this off my bucket list.

Heather was great!! Lots of manatees to interact with!! Must go in the am for the best experience!! After the excursion, Heather sent me to the best seafood in town at the seafood seller restaurant!! Going back again for sure!!

Kevin our boat captain and Dakota our in water guide were great. A fantastic experience, highly recommend. Saw about 90 manatees.

Amazing tour and they handled everything for us! From information to personality and pictures it was perfect! Captain Kevin and Dakota were awesome!

We went on a beautiful sunny day in January, but the water was so murky, it really wasn’t worth going on the trip at all. I was lucky enough to have one manatee swim right towards me, so did have one good sighting, but my friend hardly saw a thing. Zero chance of any decent photographs. Manatees are large creatures too, and I pushed myself off one thinking it was a large boulder. I really feel badly about that. Before booking any snorkeling with manatees trip, check whether there are manatees at Silver Glen springs, as you can swim with them there, in clear water, for the $12 park entrance fee. Our guide was Dakota, who rarely stopped speaking the entire time. He did genuinely try to ensure everyone saw a manatee, but otherwise seemed mega-hyped, regaling us with a series of annoying and unfunny jokes. Not great.

My friend and I went on the Manatee swim and wow! It was a wonderful experience and one I will never forget. Our guides were Kevin and Lea they were amazing would definitely go back!!

The whole tour was simply amazing. Our captain, Kevin and tour guide Leah were both very knowledgeable about everything related to the tour and they made the whole experience interesting, informative, education and fun.

Beautiful afternoon with the manatees!! Captain Sandy and Dive Guide Heather were an incredible combination. They provided top-notch service both in and out of the water. Captain Sandy and Heather kindly and patiently watched over our group and assisted with the various needs of my children throughout the trip. The manatees also loved Heather in the water, so we were able to get some great videos and pictures of our awesome experience. The shop gear, boat, and other items we used were very clean and in excellent condition. Would highly recommend the private manatee tour, and put in a request for Captain Sandy!

Had a wonderful experience! An enjoyable way to end one year and start another. Leah & Kevin were great. I recommend the VIP tour during these colder days along with receiving photos to look back on. We were graced with a lot of manatee interactions of all sizes: hugs, kisses, a little bit of extra floating and more.

Lots of Fun! Capt Robert & Dakota were great! Dakota was very attentive and helped my grand daughters have an awesome experience!

We did the VIP tour and it was incredible. Our guide Leah and captain Kev were fabulous. My older boy has special needs and Leah held onto him the whole time and reassured him and helped him get the most out of the tour and therefore enabled me to also get the lost from it as I wasn’t constantly worrying about him. This is our second time with Crystal River Watersports and I wouldn’t even consider doing the manatee swim with any other provider.

Tour was great. Went out with Captain Robert and Dakota our photographer. Dakota was full of dad jokes! Both made us feel very welcome. We did the VIP tour so it was just our family (4). We got hot cocoa, heavy coats and hand warmers when the swim was done. Saw tons of manatees and they came right up to you! This company is very eco--friendly to maintain the proper behavior around these gentle giants! One of the attractions to this tour was you get an adorable manatee-shaped thumb drive of all the pictures that Dakota took! No extra charge! Just wish the ones of the 4 of us we took at the dock were not blurry. All the others were great.

This trip was the most amazing experience. Kevin and Leah were full of information and an answered all our questions on Manatee. It was fun watching one of the young Manatees play with Leah’s shirt sleeve. I even got a kiss from one! We saw ALOT of manatees. I’d definitely recommend Crystal River Watersports and ask for Kevin and Leah-the Dinamic Duo

I can't say enough good things about this Company. Our guide Lea had so much knowledge, with a Marine Biology background. But not only that! She was so kind. I got a little panicky with snorkel at first and she held my hand and swam me over to the Manatees and I soon calmed down. And she swam me back to boat when I tired at the end! Captain Sandy gave us a nice ride, with hot chocolate and hand warmers on our vip tour. Got kissed and hugged by Manatees! Highly recommend!

We had a great time today with Captains Kevin and Sandy. We had so much fun. We even had a few manatees come and play and swim with us. It was cold today but much warmer in the water. Glad for the hot chocolate when we got out

really great experience, I was honored to have Dakota as my guide, he made my experience with the manatees very special, respectful and up close, he is an amazing guide that understands Manatees and cares for the people who come to crystal river, thank-you for an unforgetable day with these gentle souls, I am truly grateful, Sandy also was very knowledgeable and I learnt alot, I hope to return, 5 stars is not enough!

Great tour filled with so much information and humor. They were very knowledgeable and look forward to going back in the spring .

Lauren and Mark were great! They persisted in looking for manatees and it sure paid off! Will come back in the winter!

So great. Do this tour! The manatees we swam with were awesome. It was very cool to be so close to them. And while we tried to give them space, the manatees were curious abut us and came up to investigate us. It was especially cool as a baby manatee was part of our trip and that little guy was really inquisitive. He (she?) would sneak up under us and visit with us. We went in summer so the water is not as clear as some of the videos, but the eperience was amazing and 100 out of 100 would recommend and do again. The dynamic duo of Capt. Ken and Lauren made it a great day.

This was a great experience. An avid diver this was something special. Make sure anyone who doesn’t scuba or snorkel on a regular basis should practice at home before being in an environment where things are active. If you have kids younger than 14 some patients might be required if you don’t practice at home. Great staff. Safe and comfortable boats. Great gear.

My family group of six went with Capt. John and Tour leader Leah. They both have a great knowledge of the area and of the manatees. They were eager to share what they know. We were able to swim up close with a large adult female. We had a great afternoon.

My experience at Crystal River Watersports was amazing! From checking in, to our educational session prior to the experience, and to getting in the water with the manatees! Our guide Dakota and Captain Mark led us to the perfect place where we were able to allow the manatees to interact with us. Dakota was informative and reassuring throughout the tour. I can't wait to go back and do it again!

This trip was a lot of fun and the guide (Lauren) and boat captain (Kev) were great. We had not done a manatee swim before, and this was a good start with a small group and it included a nice boat trip as well as the swim. The water this time of year is pretty murky (lots of rain causing run-off, aquatic vegetation growth in the summer, etc.) so it's not the best time of year to see manatees (or anything in the water, for that matter, as visibility is extremely poor). However, there were still plenty of manatees around and we were able to interact with them. I appreciate how enthusiastic Lauren and Kev were about manatees and conservation of their ecosystem.

Lauren and Kevin were very knowledgeable about the area and the manatees. We thoroughly enjoyed the educational part as well as getting up close with a manatee. It was truly amazing to get up so close and observe them. We will definitely go back in the winter when there is even more around.

Both Dakota and Caption Steph were amazing! Thanks for finding the manatees on a windy cloudy day! Great job!

Favorite part was being with that big beautiful manatee! Kev and Leah made the experience wonderful and educational! They were fun and humorous despite having a bit of weather come upon us!I. Leah snapped some wonderful pics for us that we were able to take with us! I highly recommend this wonderful team there at Crystal River Watersports!