Crystal River Manatees
Kings Bay, located in Crystal River, has several springs scattered around the bay that pump fresh water at a constant 72°F year-round making the Kings Bay area a perfect refuge for manatees and a swim with a manatee. Perhaps Crystal River is one of the few places where people are encouraged to enter the water, interact, and swim with the manatees. Manatees are air-breathing mammals and spend much of their time near the surface of the water, which makes them easy to see.
One of the best things about Florida is being able to swim with manatees in Crystal River. If you want a chance to go swimming with the manatees in Florida your best opportunity is to check out a Crystal River boat rental from us at Twin Rivers Marina! Why pay for manatee tours when you can get up close and personal to swim with the manatees on Crystal River and observe these unique creatures.
Twin Rivers Marina has several rental boats available for full or half day rental that will allow you to get up-close and personal to swim with the manatees. Rent a boat now!
Some cool facts about Florida Manatees:
- Manatees are herbivores so you don’t have to worry about suffering a manatee bite because they love to eat plants.
- A manatee can hold their breath for 15 minutes underwater!
- While manatees have really small eyes they can actually see really well.
- Manatees don’t have neck vertebrae so when you are swimming with the manatees they can’t turn their head so they have to turn their whole body to look at you.
Florida Manatee FAQ’s
Manatees are herbivores that can spend up to 8 hours a day doing what a “sea cow” does best… grazing on seagrasses!
A good time to see manatees in Florida is usually from November to April. If you are lucky enough to visit between December and February you can see the largest numbers of manatees. Keep in mind that as temperatures rise, the manatees begin to travel to other locales as well.
Occasionally, some manatees can be seen eating clams and other sea life but for the most part, they eat aquatic plants (like seagrasses).
During the cooler months, Florida manatees make their way to Crystal Springs and other warm water locales to stay warm. Although many Crystal River manatees stay here, the warmer months find the manatees migrating northward along the Eastern seaboard towards Georgia and South Carolina or heading into the Gulf of Mexico into Alabama, Texas, and even down to Cuba!
The Florida Manatee has been reclassified as a threatened species because of habitat improvements and population growth. The biggest threats to manatees now are boat collisions, getting tangled in fishing gear, habitat degradation, etc.
Visit our Crystal River Manatee FAQ page for even more cool Florida manatee factoids.
