Where to see Mantees?

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We are planning a winter trip his year (Christmas week), and my understanding is that the winter season is the best time to see the manatees.

Anyone have a suggestion of where to go, what tour to take, etc.? Something that will not bore a couple of older teens to death?

 

[bankr63]

We are planning a winter trip his year (Christmas week), and my understanding is that the winter season is the best time to see the manatees.

Anyone have a suggestion of where to go, what tour to take, etc.? Something that will not bore a couple of older teens to death?

Absolutely a must see at Blue Spring State Park http://www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring/ We spent a wonderful day there viewing the manatee in the springs, and taking the guided boat tour of the backwater areas of St John's River.

The website will tell you if the manatee are in the springs, but at Christmas that should be a 100% unless global warming goes completely off the deep end. The park is about an hour North of Orlando in Orange City (Volusia County).

Highly recommended!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Absolutely a must see at Blue Spring State Park http://www.floridastateparks.org/bluespring/ We spent a wonderful day there viewing the manatee in the springs, and taking the guided boat tour of the backwater areas of St John's River.

The website will tell you if the manatee are in the springs, but at Christmas that should be a 100% unless global warming goes completely off the deep end. The park is about an hour North of Orlando in Orange City (Volusia County).

Highly recommended!

bankr63....is this the guided boat tour you guys took?

http://www.sjrivercruises.com/

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hi Gina, we have been to Blue Springs twice on recommendation from this board. The second time we took the cruise that you posted the link to. It was around 2 hours, quite sedate and we all enjoyed it. However, because it was so warm that Christmas the manatees hadn't come into the spring as it was warm enough in the river.

It's a lovely place and well worth the drive

 

[bankr63]

bankr63....is this the guided boat tour you guys took?

http://www.sjrivercruises.com/

That's the one. Our guide that day was a retired school teacher, and really knew his stuff. He was spotting camouflaged birds that took us a couple of minutes of staring to see. And they would be about 10-20 feet away.

Here are some photos of the manatee, starting with a momma, and 3 generations of young. Like we humans, they rear their young for a very long time. (PS - hoping you can see okay - the water is hard to shoot through - doesn't do justice to how crystal clear the water was.)





This guy was perched right at the boat launch:


And some really big gators, no safety fences here...



ETA: You know if the pontoon boat seems too sedate for the boys, they also have guided kayak tours. The gators never eat anything too big, so Jake and Steve are safe; the ladies may think twice...

 

[GAN]

I used to live near Blue Spring years ago -at that time they would let you swim/snorkel in the spring if the manatees weren't in. But on occasion, they would wander in with people in there which was really amazing. Not sure how they handle that now, but they are amazing creatures and Blue Spring is a really nice visit.

 

[TinCanTee]

X2 on Blue Spring SP. It is probably the closest to WDW. Manatee are generally in the springs from Mid November to end of March. We were there the week before Thanksgiving 2014 and the manatee count was 90 or more the whole week. It was VERY cold that week (we were in a RV) with night temps in the low 30's. The boat ride is GREAT!

P.S. Nice pics, Bankr63.

P.P.S. Gan: NO swimming when manatees are in the springs.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thank you all SO MUCH for the awesome info! Blue Springs it is!

And bankr63.....fantastic photos . Not sure what took my breath away more, the wonderful shots of the manatees or the size of those alligators!!!!

ETA: You know if the pontoon boat seems too sedate for the boys, they also have guided kayak tours. The gators never eat anything too big, so Jake and Steve are safe; the ladies may think twice...

Funny, too, that you mention the kayak tours. I was watching a youtube video on the St. John's River Cruise and Jake was peeking over my shoulder. He spied the kayaks and said "well, the boat looks a bit hokey but it would be awesome to kayak there!".

Of course, that's before he saw your gator photos .

 

[cey]

Another for Blue Springs!....Just a tip, as the snack bar near the boat cruise is very limited in what they offer ( if they are open ) either pack a lunch or pick up something to nosh on! This area has plenty of older picnic tables ( we always bring a tablecloth due to the florida insect population LOL). If you walk to the end of the boardwalk towards the actual springs ( a must do for the photo op ) there is another snack bar, again with a limited menu! That's where the gift shop is. Worth a peak as it is quite interesting as they have the usual T shirts and such, but they often have interesting art pieces as well! PS Drinks and chips are available on the cruise, but we always end up packing our own. Really a worthwhile trip and nice way to see the real Florida!

 

[chiamarie]

Blue Springs is probably the closest place to see Manatee's in the wild. I was just there a couple of weeks ago (granted, we've been having our "winter" here for awhile) and there were well over 300 manatee's in the springs that day. They were everywhere!

But I've also been a little further out; at Crystal River over in the Three Sisters Spring Area; and they will do actual "swim with manatee" tours (still not sure how they get around the laws that say you can't swim with them...) Here's a link to the tour. But this one is probably 2-3 hours drive away from the Disney area.

http://www.riverventures.com/three-sisters-springs-florida.html

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Another for Blue Springs!....Just a tip, as the snack bar near the boat cruise is very limited in what they offer ( if they are open ) either pack a lunch or pick up something to nosh on! This area has plenty of older picnic tables ( we always bring a tablecloth due to the florida insect population LOL). If you walk to the end of the boardwalk towards the actual springs ( a must do for the photo op ) there is another snack bar, again with a limited menu! That's where the gift shop is. Worth a peak as it is quite interesting as they have the usual T shirts and such, but they often have interesting art pieces as well! PS Drinks and chips are available on the cruise, but we always end up packing our own. Really a worthwhile trip and nice way to see the real Florida!

Thanks for the great advice . Perhaps it would be a good day to have a substantial brunch before we drive out, then a hearty dinner when we return.....and just snack while we're there .

Blue Springs is probably the closest place to see Manatee's in the wild. I was just there a couple of weeks ago (granted, we've been having our "winter" here for awhile) and there were well over 300 manatee's in the springs that day. They were everywhere!

But I've also been a little further out; at Crystal River over in the Three Sisters Spring Area; and they will do actual "swim with manatee" tours (still not sure how they get around the laws that say you can't swim with them...) Here's a link to the tour. But this one is probably 2-3 hours drive away from the Disney area.

http://www.riverventures.com/three-sisters-springs-florida.html

Crystal River sounds marvellous, but probably a little far out for our Christmas trip. I wondered about the legalities of swimming with them as well (we've seen the tours on Groupon quite regularly, but had heard that it wasn't allowed ) and were curious as to how they got around it.

You spotted 300 manatees in one day?!?!? I can only hope we are equally as lucky!!

 

[Grumpy92]

You can swim with them. Just cant touch them or try to ride them. It is an amazing experience.

 

[Maliki2]

I took my wife to Crystal River last year. It was with "Manatees in Paradise". My wife got to swim with the Manatees. Capt Stacey was awesome. It is ranked number one on Trip Advisor. My wife got a ton of pictures. And it is totally legal to swim with them. One came up and actually kissed my wifes face. But she enjoyed it very much!

 

[bankr63]

It IS legal to swim with Manatee in the Crystal River and Homosassa Springs areas in guided tours. But based on what the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says, and what we learned at Blue Springs, I think these programs still damage the Manatee population through desensitization of the creatures. I have tried to Google/Wikipedia why this discrepancy exists, but even Wikipedia indicates that a citation is needed. I suspect (but totally a guess) that it is because commercial ventures existed in these areas and were grandfathered in when the new regulations hit in the mid-seventies. Regardless, I think that anyone should think hard before swimming with them, and certainly should heed the FFWCC guidelines:

http://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/viewing-guidelines/

ETA:

I did find an article from Save the Manatee that speaks to the situation in these areas:

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