Manatee swim advice please

[ecclescake]

Hi,

Me and my boyf are getting really excited about our trip in September - we had to reschedule our trip from last September after I broke my ankle and couldn't fly (thank goodness for travel insurance!) so we've been anticipating this Disney trip for a very long time.

We are going to have a spare day in the plan, and I'd love to swim with manatees in the wild. We did a trip about 10 years ago where we went on an excursion to swim with them and I loved it - it included breakfast, coach drive for a couple of hours, boat ride, short swim, then lunch at Homosassa Park.

I'd ideally like to just do the swim part as we've already done the other activities that get included and I don't need to do those again, but with longer in the water as the manatee part felt really quick. We don't drive, so would have to either find a trip that included transport or find a way of getting their ourselves.

If you've any advice for us as to the best way to do this, or any specific companies you'd recommend, that'd be much appreciated,

Thanks,
Caroline

 

[kiltclan]

Glad that you were able to reschedule and be able to get back out there!

Unfortunately, the changing of the years has made it illegal to swim with these creatures outside of Crystal Springs State Park in Citrus County. They have manatee snorkeling tours, but you can also head out on your own and do it for free. Also unfortunate, September is not the ideal time to see Manatees. They usually come closer to shore from the Gulf of Mexico when the waters finally get cold and that's usually around Dec-Feb. However, that's not to say that an unseasonable cold-snap couldn't change those chances up completely.

If you do get lucky and manage to see a few and choose not to charter a tour, heres some handy tips on how to best interact with them. http://travel4wildlife.com/how-to-swim-with-manatees/

 

[ecclescake]

Thanks for the advice Kiltclan

I'd forgotten that when we swam with them before, it was a different time of year (in May), so it might not be a good time to do this on this trip. We might head to Busch gardens for the day instead. Thanks!