Manatees! But really, don’t pet them.

We weren’t supposed to swim with manatees that day. On a whim, based on the recommendation from a fellow traveler, we made the hour’s journey to Crystal River, Florida, to catch a glimpse of the majestic sea cows, the largest gathering of them in the world.

The Three Sisters Spring, located in the town of Crystal River, Florida, contains the largest gathering of manatees on the planet every winter when the frigid Gulf waters coaxes the manatees into the warm, year-round 72 degree spring water. The gathering can be in the hundreds on a cold day in the gulf, and on these days the spring is completely closed to visitors to give the manatees at least some sanctuary from all us human gawkers.

There are a few options for viewing these magical, large, potato shaped creatures.

Option 1: Snorkeling Tour.

You will board a tour boat, and the boat will take you directly to the entrance of the Three Sisters Spring (pictured above). This option will set you back about $90 per person. This includes the rental of snorkel gear and wetsuit. You’ll be able to enter the spring and swim with the manatees on days when it isn’t too jam packed with them in there.

Option 2: Boardwalk.

There is a boardwalk from which you can view the manatees in the spring. There’s no parking lot near the boardwalk– you’ll have to park at the visitor’s center and either walk or take the trolley to the spring. $15 per adult. There’s no water access from the boardwalk, meaning no swimming with the ‘tees.

Option 3: Kayak into Three Sisters Spring.

Rent a kayak (or bring your own) and paddle right up to the spring. Based on my experience, I would hands down recommend this option. You’ll get to swim with the manatees, plus enjoy the 15 minute paddle ride to the spring, and have the independence of being able to drop anchor wherever you feel like exploring. There are springs and manatees lurking all over Kings Bay, not just at Three Sisters. You can explore all of them with your own vessel. Plus you won’t have to be part of a large tour group as with Option 1.

We rented a tandem kayak for four hours from Hunter Springs Kayak. It was $45 and I had a great experience with them. On the map below, they are located at the blue balloon. There is also a lovely small public beach located at Hunter Springs Park, so if you have your own snorkel but don’t feel like kayaking you have a good chance of spotting some manatees just swimming there too.

Due to some planning confusion, I hadn’t planned on swimming, and therefore left my swimsuit, snorkel, and wet camera gear at home. BUMMER! Luckily, renting swim gear from Hunter Springs only set us back another $20. For a total of $65 for the two of us.

Here are some pics from our paddle to the springs:

You can paddle right up to the spring, drop anchor, and swim in for the most majestic manatee viewing experience of a lifetime.

Unfortunately, many people come to the spring with the explicit expectation of petting a manatee for social media. Don’t be one of those people. Don’t suck. It’s really just as much fun without petting them.

Key Takeaways

• If you want to swim with manatees, we recommend kayaking in from Hunter Springs Park. You can rent one or launch your own. Bring or rent snorkel equipment!
• The Three Sisters Spring is CLOSED to swimming by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Service as a manatee sanctuary when the Gulf temps get too cold. You can check whether it’s open at the FWS facebook page.
• Keep in mind your Manatee Manners! Any reputable tour/rental service will show these videos to you, but if you totally DIY this one, educate yourself. Give them their space. Do NOT ride, pet, or chase them.

Happy paddles!