swim with manatee

[susangrah]

Has anyone swam with the manatee at Crystal River.any info please
thanks

 

[dj2]

bump

 

[eblondie]

Yes....we swam with the manatees in March this year. We booked with Traci and it was the best experience. Unlike other tour guides Traci caters to YOUR needs. There were just the 2 of us and it didnt cost any more for this. I would definately recommend her tours.

www.nativevacations.com

Any questions...please dont hesitate to contact me.

 

[susangrah]

Would love to hear more about the swim. Did you travel up on the day? We are thinking of doing Busch gardens and then travelling up from there and staying overnight.

 

[floridagirrl2]

Manatees are wild animals and are endangered. I don't mean this as a flame, so please don't take it that way, but any tour guide that encourages swimming with manatees is exploiting them for financial gain. It's fine to look at them, but like all wild animals (especially endangered ones!), we humans need to keep our distance. Eco-conscious tour guides will bring you on a canoe or kayak paddle in rivers where manatees swim, but they will not allow or encourage swimming with them.

 

[eblondie]

I really dont want to get drawn into this but....
Eco-Conscious does not have to mean you cannot
captain a boat. If the captain is aware and conscious of his/her
surroundings, there is no reason not to. Yes, manatee are endangered and in desperate need of our help as humans, as we are their only threat. However, an experience such as swimming with the manatee is an adventure one will never forget. Once you have bonded with this amazing animal, no matter who
you are, you are going to tell others about the manatee, and that they are smart, curious, fun and in no way can ever harm anyone or anything. Informing people, especially those who do not know what they are, is very important to their survival and the experience is a fabulous way to help raise awareness about this gentle, loving, beautiful marine mammal.

Traci has been giving manatee tours for 4 years now and she is one of the most Eco-conscious people I know. Some people may "exploit the manatee for financial gain" but I know that the tours she offers people are all about the manatee. Traci is more than happy to take just a couple of people on her boat...if she was just money orientated then surely she would want to pack her boat full of people! As long as we follow the very strict guidelines, we are helping to preserve the manatee and their habitat instead of helping to destroy them.

 

[susangrah]

Well said

 

[eblondie]

TY!
I have seen and heard of money-orientated tour guides but Traci is not one of them. There is no way that I would recommend someone who I thought put money before the manatee.

Anyway...Traci picked us up from our Disney hotel very early in the morning (as it takes a couple of hours to drive to the Crystal River). We didnt have our own transport but Traci can include this if needed (a very comfortable ride). We were able to swim with the manatee for as long as we wanted. There are areas in the river that people are not allowed to go into...only manatee. This means that they can get away from us if they want to. We found the manatee to be extremely playful...infact some just wouldnt leave us alone!

Our tour was a very intimate interaction with manatees as the group was only myself and my partner. When I was looking for a manatees tour I found that some tour groups were very large (upwards of 50 people). Im pleased that my interaction was a very positive one, something I will never forget and something I definately want to do again. Its because of this experience that I want to draw attention to the plight of the manatee! I hope you will feel the same with your experience.

 

[susangrah]

Thank you for the info. I too have seen some tours that are cheaper but do not limit the number. Traci seems to be a good recommendation.

 

[floridagirrl2]

Hopefully we are all intelligent, educated, and empathetic enough that we do not have to interact with wild animals in order to understand the problems associated with being an Endangered Species. Here's a little more information from the Save the Manatee Club. They are trying to educate people that it is NOT OK to "play" with manatees:

http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/ask00/0242.html

They recommend that people NOT swim with manatees, but if you must, to keep your distance. If you "play" with a manatee, it loses its natural fear of humans, which is a necessary part of the survival instinct. Please read and educate yourself rather than assuming it's OK just because you enjoyed it.

 

[eblondie]

http://www.savethemanatee.org/Tips.htm

Interesting tips from savethemanatee...for swimming with the manatee.

 

[susangrah]

I have not yet swam with the manatee but would love to on our trip this december. I intend to go with a reputable tour company, like the one already mentioned. One that understands how to treat the manatee. Just because they have a company which takes people out on the river to interact with these creatures doesnt mean that they dont care about the manatees' welfare. If you look at their website, they are interested in educating humans about these wonderful creatures so that we can learn and understand all about them.

I think your comments are unfair, just because you believe it to be wrong it doesnt mean that everyone else does!

 

[eblondie]

Traci is also a menber of the save the manatee organisation..there is even a link to it on her website...so shes even promoting the organisation!!!