Swim With manatees???

[jokeborn]

Also look into Blue Springs. You can't dive with them, but they come very close. In the early spring they have a manatee festival. Go to floridastateparks.org and look up blue springs. You can also visit the other web sites for here and see if another of the parks is more of what you are looking for.

 

[CBulla]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh... adorable blue springs - thats where Pete got attacked from behind by mama manatee! She tree'd him and two snorkelers to a tree near the spring.. it was quite amusing

 

[medical1]

Check out the Port Hotel & Marina . The scuba board did a manatee trip there last year and a lot of us stayed there. Not the Ritz but the hotel is right across from Kings spring & they rent boats. Were taking our 11 year old son again in December as he loves to snorkle with the sea cows. If we stay at the Port Hotel I just bring our Kayaks and forget about renting a boat as the springs are all of 50 to 70 yards away from the hotel. No need for a guide unless you want one as everyone will tell you where the manatees are. Just rent a boat & obay the no-wake zones. Your son will love it!

PS: The Port Hotel also has a manatee cam on the site if you want to see the springs ;-)

PSS: NO STORIES OF PAST EVENTS AT THE HOTEL SHOULD BE POSTED
Some people got banned from the board last time

 

[owsiscuba]

Hey all,

I'm hoping someone or many might be able to help me with setting up a trip down your way to swim with manatees. I have a 7 year old boy who is chomping at the bit to get in the water with me when I dive (how lucky am I??). In perperation for this we have been working on snorkeling. He has snorkeled in Turks and has been practicing a lot in the pool this year. I am thinking of enrolling him in a Kids Sea camp this summer, but before investing that kind of money I wanted to get him another in water experience. So I think that swimming with Manatees would be a nice thing for the both of us. I have seen adds for a couple of companies in Florida. I am hoping that you all might be able to tell me the best time of year/ place/ company/ deal for this encounter.

Thanks for your help.
Joe

Hey
I work for the plantation inn. Call me or email me and I'll give you all the info you want. Check out the plantationinn.com website. I can also get you deal on hotel stay if you wish. If the manatee were any closer they would need room keys. They work with us pretty well.
Hope this is helpfull
Thanks Paul

 

[CBulla]

HEY! What a nice addition to the conch's! Someone who lives and works in an area we all like to dive in the northwest non-panhandle portion of the state

Welcome to the board, Paul!!

 

[The Chairman]

There I was at DEMA... at one of the booths dedicated to diving with the "Aggressive Giants". I thought I was looking through "mug shots" trying to ID the perp that beat me up! BTW, don't mess with mom!

Manatees are protected by both Federal and State laws:

Legal Protection: West Indian manatees in the United States are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. West Indian manatees are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 which states: "It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee." Anyone convicted of violating Florida's state law faces a possible maximum fine of $1,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by a fine of up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison.

However, State Parks are known to enforce this law to the letter, limiting swimming to 50 ft of a Manatee. They consider any approach to a manatee as harrassment and will fine you accordingly. It has been suggested in Blue Spring that when approached by a manatee it is YOUR responsibility to swim away from it. BTW, they can swim faster than you if they want (and they hit harder too!)

 

[medical1]

There I was at DEMA... at one of the booths dedicated to diving with the "Aggressive Giants". I thought I was looking through "mug shots" trying to ID the perp that beat me up! BTW, don't mess with mom!

How did we miss you at DEMA? We were there all day Friday & Saturday
Did you check out the new Oceanic mask with the heads up display integrated into the mask? Very cool and only $1700 when it comes onto the market for the general diving community - not just the Navy Seals.