A Manatee Experience - From the Beginning - Location and Best Time to Visit

Choose another page .... Page 1 - Where to Go Page 2 - Boats and Manatee Locations Page 3 - Do and Donts with Manatees Page 4 - Manatee Behavior and More Page 5 - In Water Experience Page 6 - One Last Look

The West Indian Manatee is an endangered species. The manatee population was probably more abundant in the 18th or 19th century than today. Their demise initially may have resulted from over harvesting for meat, oil, and leather. Today hunting manatees is prohibited but they face other problems. Many die from accidental collisions with boats and barges, and from canal lock operations. The average adult manatee is 10 feet long and weighs 1000 pounds. During the summer months, they range as far north as coastal Virginia on the east coast and the Louisiana coast on the Gulf of Mexico although one manatee visited New England a few years back during a summer adventure.

During the winter months, the United States' manatee population is found in the coastal waters of the southern half of peninsular Florida and in springs and warm water outfalls as far north as southeast Georgia. Manatees also winter in the St. Johns River in Florida near Blue Spring State Park. The best place, in my opinion, to see and photograph manatees is Crystal River, Florida which is on the west coast of Florida about an hour and a half drive north of Tampa.

The best time to find manatees is during the winter months from November to March. Ideally, the colder the weather - the better. Manatees need to be in water that is warmer than 70 degrees. When the air temperatures fall, so do water temps. Manatees head for natural springs and power plant outfalls where the temperatures are warmer.

My favorite times based on the probability of colder temperatures are the very end of December, January and the beginning of February. I have also noted that if air temperatures remain cold throughout the day, manatees tend to stay near springs longer. When air temperatures get warmer during the day, manatees leave the spring areas in the late morning and move to places where food is more abundant.

The first preparation to make is a place to stay. There are a number of fine establishments in the Crystal River area. I have stayed at the Best Western Crystal River Resort and the Port Hotel and Marina. The latter is going through an extensive renovation. My wife and I like it because it is located right on the river with great views of Kings Spring and the myriad of wildlife found there. An internet search on Crystal River hotels will provide additional motels in the area. Here are some other things to think about ahead of time.

All interactions with manatees are done while snorkeling. The water temperature in the spring areas is around 72°. This is chilly even when daytime temps are higher. When the temperature is thirty degrees, seventy-two degree water will chill you in a short period of time. So, you will need a wetsuit. I have used a 1/8" thick wetsuit but you may find that a ¼" thick wetsuit will be more comfortable. Another option if you are a northern diver is to use a drysuit. I have in the past and there is one drawback - relieving yourself

if necessary. This is not a subject that I want to address here but if you own a drysuit, you will understand the problem. If you don't own a wetsuit, don't worry. There are many dive shops that carry rental wetsuits as well as mask, snorkel and fins. These are the items that you will need to get into the water and experience manatees. Other considerations would be video and still cameras. There are disposable underwater cameras available for those of you who don't own underwater camera equipment. Ewa Marine has a line of protective enclosures for photo and video cameras. These are less expensive than plastic or metal housings. For those of you who own underwater photography or videography equipment, manatees are ideal subjects. They don't move fast. The lighting is usually very good because all action takes place on or near the surface of the water in a part of the world where the sun provides plenty of illumination. Strobes or video lighting are not necessary because of the normally high intensity of light from the sun and also because there tends to be matter in the water that will cause backscatter. I have seen plenty of people using strobes and lights so use your own discretion. For film users, film speeds of 100 or normally sufficient. On very overcast days, consider bringing some 200 speed film.