Crystal River

Manatee Snorkel Tour with In-Water Divemaster/Photographer

Badge of ExcellenceCrystal River, USA
Swim with Manatee Adventure

Overview

Get up close to Florida’s manatees on this small-group snorkeling adventure. With an expert guide leading the way, swim alongside these gentle giants in Kings Bay. All tours include a full 5mm wetsuit (for extra warmth), mask, snorkel, towel service, heated changing facilities, and hot showers. Photos and video of your excursion are available for purchase.
  • Swim alongside manatees on a snorkeling adventure
  • Tour takes place in Kings Bay where manatees live year-round
  • Includes 5mm wetsuit, snorkel, and mask
  • Photos and videos of the tour are available for purchase
  • You will be accompanied by a divemaster, which is a professionally insured in-water guide.

What's Included

  • Use of full 5mm wetsuits (for extra warmth), mask and snorkel
  • Coffee and/or Tea, Hot chocolate, bottle water
  • Towel Service
  • US Coast Guard certified captain and Professionally Insured in water guide
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges
  • Gratuities
  • DVD or Flash Drive (available to purchase)
  • Swimsuits
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Plantation Adventure Center and Manatee Tours
    9301 W Fort Island Trail, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA

    Located on property at the Plantation on Crystal River

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Wetsuits available in children's size 6 up to 3XL
  • Use of full 5mm wetsuits (for extra warmth), mask and snorkel
  • Children most be accompanied by an adult
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Minimum age requirement of 6 years old
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Featured review
Michelle_P
Mark and Laurie were our tour guides and they were amazing! Very informative and you could tell they were passionate about their work. I especially liked that they emphasized the importance of respecting the animals, water, and ecosystem as a whole. We had a 2PM session and we thought they we might not see many manatees, but we got very lucky and we saw SO many on our swim! There were so many mother and baby manatees that were just adorable. This was a great experience and I’d recommend it to anyone who is visiting in the area!

Reviews

5.0
2,169 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 2,169 reviews
Waste of money in March
Michelle_B, Mar 2024
Wish we would’ve been told this time a year you really don’t see them as pictured in your advertisement. Also staff can be a bit more friendly and helpful, captain was nice and knowledgeable though. No complaints on him.
Fun and knowledgeable
Christopher_R, Mar 2024
Captains Dirty Mike and Ryan were very knowledgeable about manatees and the surrounding area. They made sure everyone was able to get as close as possible to the manatees.
An awesome day at Crystal River! ⭐️
Eileen_K, Mar 2024
I had an awesome day! The guides were amazing and tried to show us as many manatees as possible. 😊 The Crystal river was as crystal as it could be with two manatees, amazing place! After that they took us another place where we could swim really close with more manatees! I can highly recommend the tour to everyone!
A worthy adventure
Debbie_W, Mar 2024
It was a fun tour. They were very good at spotting the submerged Manatee. Do note that you may have to swim quite a way (70 yards) to get in to the spring where they are, so make sure your suite allows freedom of arm movement.
Sharing their space
Susan_M, Mar 2024
I was surrounded by 3 manatee - one below me one in front and one to my side. It was a very special moment!
Memorable Experience!
Tracy_F, Mar 2024
We had lots of fun! The dive master and boat captain were personable and fun. We were super lucky to swim with several manatees the morning we went.
We enjoyed our time,...
TerryKaramanos, Mar 2024
We enjoyed our time, setting was relaxing and fun. We would have liked to learn something about manatees—beyond just looking for them. . We only saw a few which you should expect especially if you go later in the day. The swim at 3 Sisters was a highlight.
The description of the...
Magda_V, Mar 2024
The description of the tour should have been more detailed such as when the weather gets warm it’s extremely difficult to find a manatee that will stay in one place, they move quickly. If you have young children it might be extremely boring for them. After we finally saw a manatee we don’t even have pictures as the guide took horrible pictures and video. It’s not what you see on the advertisement.
Wicked Adventure on Crystal River!
Troy_D, Mar 2024
Captain Cory and Divemaster Kendra were a hoot. They were both educational in teaching us all about manatees and their current situation due to a hurricane that ravaged the sea grass that manatees eat for their survival but also many interesting facts about them as well. They both added lots of humour and information about the area too. We saw several manatees on our tour. Snorkelling in the three sisters area was extra special as a tagged manatee (orphaned) was there and was very docile and swam below us! A very cool and worthwhile adventure! A memorable experience that will last a lifetime!
Great experience
davidmead66, Mar 2024
A great experience!! Cody is the best we was lucky to see manatees on 3 trips!! If I had to moan the shower just 1 for gents and 1 for lady's
Full of action
Alisha_S, Mar 2024
Amanda is an amazing guide!!! The captain and her worked well to find manatees and it paid off! The experience was well explained and Amanda had a lot of humor which made the trip relaxing!
Must do!
Heather_C, Mar 2024
The manatee snorkel adventure was great! Michelle was an amazing tour guide! I will definitely do it again-
To warm
Jennifer_M, Mar 2024
We did not have luck really snorkeling with manatees. We saw a couple in boat but they did not stick around as there were so many people in same space. We got no pictures and visibility was terrible. None of that is because of tour group. They tried to provide the best experience
Great time with my grandson
Raymond_W, Mar 2024
Cloudy day but our guide and captain put us over manatees. Lots traffic on the water but captain Dave managed to avoid the paddle boards and kayaks. Guide Michelle was excellent, got a lot of great pictures.
Snorkeling and swimming with manatees!
Merilee_B, Mar 2024
Tour opens with a quick video, then board the boat in a wetsuit. Short ride to snorkeling area while listening to some local history. Then swimming with 2 manatees and 10 people. Great day!
AMAZING!!
BobbiJo_M, Mar 2024
The tour guides were amazing and the experience overall was outstanding! I want to go back to Orlando just to do this again and again!
Super awesome!
Ashley_N, Mar 2024
Cory and Kendra were amazing. Definitely recommend going first thing in the morning. By the time we were heading out, there were a lot of other people there. The baby manatees were so friendly and one came up to me and stayed with me for about 15 minutes just checking me out.
Enjoyable fun adventure swimming with the manatees !
Kathy_G, Mar 2024
So enjoyed swimming near the manatees. Captain Mike and his crew ( Amanda and Michelle ? ) were great. The boat ride was nice. We were instructed well on how to swim and be around the manatees. Serving Hot Chocolate, coffee or Manatee mix was nice at the end of our swim :)
Great experience
Kevin_D, Mar 2024
The entire staff was great! Our Captain and dive master were both awesome. Everything was as advertised.
Seeing all of the...
Constance_P, Mar 2024
Seeing all of the manatees. I was a little disappointed in the number of people in the water at the same time. We were always bumping into each other but, all in all, the experience was amazing!
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From $69.95

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

  • 3 hours
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English