Small group Manatee Tour with In-Water Divemaster/Photographer | 3 hours

722 Reviews | Crystal River
Likely To Sell Out
From $98.50 per person Lowest Price Guarantee
Select Date and Travelers
You can select up to 6 travelers in total.
Adult (1-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 6
2
Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Morning Semi Private
2 Adults x $98.50
$197.00
Approx Total
$197.00
Get out before the rest on our early morning semi private manatee snorkel tour! Tour times may vary on availability.

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English
  • Boat Coats for cold mornings!
  • US Coast Guard certified captain and Professionally Insured in water guide!
  • Use of Full 5mm wet-suits (for extra warmth), Mask & Snorkels
  • Towel Service
  • Coffee, Hot Chocolate, bottle water
  • Gratuities
  • DVD or Flash Drive (available to purchase)
  • Swimsuits

Overview

Just like our regular tours, you can swim alongside manatees for even longer. Only 6 people per vessel allows for a more personal experience The price includes all equipment, full 5mm wet suits, mask, snorkel, towel service, hot chocolate, coffee, hot showers, boat coats and heated changing facility.

Meeting points

Departure Point: Plantation on Crystal River Address: Plantation Adventure Center

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Crystal River offers the best location to see and interact with the Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, also known as gentle giants. Unlike other areas of Florida, the federal government allows for "passive observation" in the water between manatees and people in Kings Bay. This allows face-to-face interaction with manatees. We provide pre-tour education on passive observation and how to get the best experience during the tour. We also offer a hotel package including accommodations and breakfast with your Florida manatee tour. Swimming with the manatees and exploring the greater Kings Bay estuary and springs is extremely popular. Manatee tour experiences are best done by snorkeling while wearing wet suits, making the interaction as silent as possible. This way the manatees are more inclined to approach and get close. We maintain new suits and snorkel gear, all included in our manatee tours, as well as full-service facilities for changing. Your in-water guide will be taking videos and pictures of your manatee experience, which will be available for purchase at the dive shop. All our tour boats are fully enclosed in the winter time to protect you from the wind and cold. We provide coffee, hot chocolate, water and dry towels on every tour. Summer VS Winter Manatee tours are temperature driven. The colder it is the more manatees we see, and the closer they are to the springs. During cold days in manatee season (November 15th to March 31st) Kings Bay could have over 700 manatees. Please keep in mind that even inside manatee season we may have warm weather (summer like conditions). We see manatees in Kings Bay year round. To some this is their home and they'll stay here their whole lives. In the summer months, and anytime we have warmer weather, the temperature of the water outside the springs increments. This makes the rest of the bay more appealing to the manatees. The 20 to 40 manatees that stay here year round don't move together, so they'll spread out in the 630 acres of Kings Bay.  This is a wildlife experience determined by weather, tides, time of the day, and the behavior of all visitors. When we have "summer like" conditions you have the opportunity to see manatees in their natural habitat, and it is important to have realistic expectations. We are always happy to answer any questions about what you could expect inside or outside manatee season. 

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Wet-suits available in children's size 6 up to 3XL

Free Cancellation

June 10100% refund
June 11No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

5.0

722 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    711
  • 4 stars
    6
  • 3 stars
    3
  • 2 stars
    2
  • 1 star
    0

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 711 reviews with 5 stars

Wonderful

Published on Jan, 2025

Great staff. Everyone was superknowledgeable and worked hard too and sure we had a great experience. Most importantly the manatees were amazing.

Recommend the Snorkel with Manatees Tour with Plantation on Crystal River Adventure

Published on Dec, 2024

Yesterday, my daughter and I had the most incredible experience on the Snorkel with Manatees Tour at 6:30 AM with Plantation on Crystal River Adventure Center. We were aboard a comfortable boat with a skilled in-water dive master (who was also our photographer). The boat was perfect for our needs, and we had a wonderful time with a friendly, experienced captain and a knowledgeable guide. The staff, both on land and on the boat, were so thoughtful, providing towels, water, coffee, and hot cocoa to keep us comfortable. There was ample parking, and the changing and shower room was warm and well-maintained. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Crystal River, just a short 3-minute drive from the tour location. The hotel offers breakfast from 6:00 to 10:00 AM, so we were able to enjoy a lovely meal before starting our adventure—an ideal way to kick off the day. Our guide was fantastic, capturing many photos of us, which we could later view and purchase as lasting memories. We also learned a lot about the area, including the warm springs, and how the water temperature remains steady at a comfortable 72°F (22°C). While the temperature was perfect, we were provided with wetsuits for added comfort. We were lucky enough to see an incredible number of manatees, and my daughter and I truly had an unforgettable experience. It was a magical adventure—by far better than a day at Disneyland! Highly recommended ❤️

Fabulous host, unforgettable experience

Published on Dec, 2024

Fabulous team who took care of us. Loads of manatees to hang with. Lots of other sea life too. You can take video and pictures if you life or enjoy your time out there and let the pros capture special moments for you.

Memories made !

Published on Aug, 2024

What a fabulous morning, out with Orville and Aaron, so informative and clearly passionate about what they do, incredible experience swimming with manatees, saved in the memory bank ❤️

Experience of a lifetime!

Published on Jun, 2024

Dive master Orville and captain Ryan took me and my son on an amazing trip. They are so dedicated to manatees and the Kings Bay area, know their way around and go out of their way to make the tour unforgettable. Highly recommended!

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