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…