Swimming with manatees
Take a very easy drive in a westerly direction from Orlando for about an hour and fourty minutes and you will across a little bit of natural heaven. Crystal River is one of the prime spots in the state, in fact in the world, to get up close and natural with those strange aquatic almost pre-historic looking creatures of the deep, manatees.
Picture courtesy of visitcitrus.com
In case you are not familiar with them, manatees are like a large seal or walrus, with a tapered tail, two forelimbs with nails and a snout-like face. Adults can be about 13 feet long and weigh over 3,000 pounds but despite these gargantuan proportions they are in fact very, very gentle animals and spend most of their lives swimming slowly, eating and sleeping.
Thirty years ago Manatees were a threatened species but with rigidly enforced legislation the numbers have quadrupled from less than 1,000 to around 4,000.
In Crystal River you can book a swim with manatees experience. The best time to do this is in the winter months as manatees only survive in warm water and anything below 20c for a prolonged period normally results in death.
In Crystal River the natural spring waters provide a constant 22c degree temperature and over 400 manatees will migrate to this area each winter to seek refuge from the cold Gulf waters. Some will hang around all year thus providing an opportunity year round but the numbers are reduced as the majority go out to the Gulf to feed on sea grass.
The day started early for me with a wet suit donned by 7am and off on the flat bed boat by 7.15am. I, like many, was expecting a similar experience to a dolphin swim, but no.
Before you get in the water you are shown and told what the rules are and unless they approach you all you do is float in the warm, crystal clear water and observe through your goggles – no touching, no feeding, no noise, no splashing, no entering manatee sanctuaries and no chasing them. It is a fabulous experience and one that I would highly recommend.
The area also supports other water leisure pursuits such as boating and fishing, plus at the hotel I stayed at – The Plantation Inn– they have a very nice and friendly golf facility.
As an alternative or addition to seeing Mickey Mouse, go and see the Manatees.
Graham stayed in The Plantation Inn, drove a wicked Hertz car and flew with British Airways
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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