Swim with manatees in Florida

A diver swims beside a manatee in Crystal River National... — A diver swims beside a manatee in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Credit: MCT/Paul Cross

By MIKE BERDANSpecial to NewsdayMarch 3, 2011

From my vantage point, it's hard to see how Columbus - no matter how long he had been at sea - could possibly have mistaken a manatee for a mermaid. And my vantage point is pretty conclusive: only 6 inches away from the wrinkly, puffy, gray face of a decidedly Rubenesque, half-ton adult, her (or is it "his"?) heavily whiskered jowls drooping in what can hardly be described as a "come hither" look. Only the massive, fan-shaped tail at the end of her 10-foot body is even vaguely reminiscent of the legendary sirens of the sea. But there's still plenty to be smitten by with these docile, plant-eating mammals that are perhaps most accurately described as a cross between a seal and a cow. For starters, they seem completely nonplussed by the fact that some two dozen wet-suited, snorkeling humans have once again invaded their "turf" - in this case, the gaping underwater mouth of Kings Spring in Kings Bay, Fla., on a chilly December morning.

Nor does it seem to bother any of the other 30 to 40 manatees, including six several-hundred-pound "babies" in this particular herd, that none of us can resist reaching out and touching them - be it stroking their arched and occasionally barnacled backs, shaking their mitt-like flippers or even caressing their rough cheeks as they drift listlessly about in the murky 72-degree water. For them, it's clearly just the morning routine.

But for me and the other five participants on Crystal Lodge Dive Center's "swim with the manatees" tour, it's been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It began shortly after dawn when we struggled to get our own somewhat Rubenesque bodies into the obligatory wet suits before watching a 20-minute video that introduced us to this endangered species and explained the do's and don'ts of swimming with them (visitors face fines of $125 and up for violating guidelines).

Properly equipped and informed, we were then taken by pontoon boat to our encounter area, a roped-off keyhole of open water abutting the Crystal River Preserve State Park. Our guide, Captain Darren, had moored well away from the four other tour boats that had already arrived and simply instructed us to jump in. For the next 90 minutes, it was just man and manatee, intermingling freely and frequently above the mouth of the spring, supervised by a ranger in a kayak.

Ironically, my own single best encounter occurred on my way back to the boat, when I nearly collided with a particularly large female who promptly rolled over and let me scratch her belly for several minutes. She was no Daryl Hannah, but I'll still remember our magical moments together with fondness for years to come.

Planning a trip

Thanks to an abundance of warm water springs, Citrus County (80 miles north of Tampa, 85 miles northwest of Orlando) boasts the largest population of manatees in the United States. The two primary encounter areas are Kings Bay (adjacent to the town of Crystal River) and the Homosassa River. But manatees also can be seen - and swum with - elsewhere in the state, particularly in the Fort Myers and Naples areas.

The best time to swim with manatees is during the winter months (November-March), when herds congregate around warm water springs. And the best time to go is early in the morning, before the manatees disperse to feed. While it is still possible to see them during the rest of the year, you are likely to encounter just a few.

For those reluctant to actually get in the water with these lumbering giants, there's an underwater observatory at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (352-628-5343), which also houses a manatee rescue facility; admission is $13 adults and $5 ages 6-12. Or you can rent a kayak, canoe or pontoon boat at any number of waterfront liveries and search for them yourself.

IF YOU GO

Citrus County, Fla., has seen a proliferation of swimming with the manatee tour operators in recent years. Some of the more established operators include:

CRYSTAL LODGE DIVE CENTER

525 N.W. Seventh Ave., Crystal River

352-795-6798, manatee-central.com

COST $15 ($17 extra for gear rental)

BIRD'S UNDERWATER DIVE CENTER

320 N.W. Hwy. 19, Crystal River

352-563-2763, birdsunderwater.com

COST $35 ($20 extra for gear rental)

CAPT. MIKE'S SUNSHINE RIVER TOURS

5297 S. Cherokee Way, Homosassa

352-628-3450, sunshinerivertours.com

COST $40 (includes gear rental)