We did this 3 years ago in Crystal River (Gulf Coast) We were staying in Orlando and booked direct with ProAmerican Diving Center at Crystal River. We drove up and stayed overnight in a wooden motel hut right on the water. My husband and I and our two daughters (5 and 8) all had a magical time swimming with the manatees in the wild and have a video to prove it! It was a truly memorable experience, even for a non water lover like me! We were there in Oct/Nov and I seem to remeber them saying that you were more likely to be sucessful in finding wild manatees at this time as I think they migrate at certain times of the year.