HI readers– I’m writing this from Crystal River, Florida, where My friend Gal and I have been swimming with manatees and also witnessed a manatee luncheon at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. A full report is coming on Wednesday, but for now (while I’m still mid-vacation), here are some things to know about manatees:
One: Manatees hang out in rivers and springs near the Gulf of Mexico (I’m ignoring that stupid renaming debacle, as is everyone around here) in the winter, as the water in the springs is a constant 72F. This is how you can swim with them. Crystal River is Manatee Central, with scads of companies offering tours for snorkeling, kayaying in clear plastic boats, and riding in a glass-bottomed boat for viewing. There are also parks with boardwalks that let you see the manatees sometimes.
Two: Manatees’ favorite food is romaine lettuce. They each eat 150 lbs a day of the lettuce at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State park. There you see some manatees that have been injured (generally by boat motors) and are cared for my the vet and science staff.
Three: Most swimming with manatees happens in shallow murky water, as they shuffle along the bottom foraging for grasses. But when you see them, they are astounding. By the way, the cover photo is me with a manatee.
Four: You need to be calm and quiet when in the presence of a manatee. They can sense your heartbeat (says our very knowledgeable guide Brian), so will leave if you’re not chill. I was not chill on our first encounter (too excited), but soon learned.
Five: Swimming with manatees is guaranteed to make you very happy. I highly recommend it.
And Six: It’s continually surprising to me how many people get up very early in the morning (i.e. before 7am) as a matter of course. We did a 7am tour (my choice!) because I thought it would be really nice. It was.
More details to come on Wednesday. In the meantime: have any of you swum with manatees? How did you find it? I’d love to hear about your experiences.