Manatees in crystal River

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major111

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My resarch is almost complete:

Search: Companies offering Boats right at the shop or free transport to Boat already in water.

Eliminated from list if require customers to follow a boat on a trailer to a ramp in their own cars (marina space is available so this makes no sense and kids on public ramps seems like a hazard best avoided when there are other options).

Port Hotel and Marina: Full tours, rental boats, Dive instruction, guided dives, own hotel. Boats on water at shop

Crystal Lodge: Full tours, discount tours, dive instruction, own hotel. Boats in water at shop

Birds Underwater: Full tours, rental kayaks, dive instruction, guided dives, own homes, boats in water at shop

Paradise Hotel: Full tours, dive instruction, own hotel, boats in water at shop

Manatee Dive and Tour: Full tours, dive instruction, boats in water at shop, educational qualifications for "educational tours" , boats in water at shop

Sunshine River Tours: Full tours, dive Instruction, guided dives, tours on Crystal River and Homosassa River. Laid back long water time Homosassa river tours

Air Tank Divers: Full tours, dive instruction, Homosassa River Specialist, laid back long water time Homosassa river tours, airboat tours (quiet engines)

Riverside Resorts: Full tours, boat rental, Homosassa River Specialist, own hotel, dinner cruises from own hotel docks.

Riverside Safaries: Full Tour, rentals, airboats, Homosassa only.

The guides: all the same pretty much. All the above employ good boat drivers. However, they all pretty much say the same exact things for the simple reason that there is only so much to say and they've all probably rotated around until they found a company they liked working for. Rest assured the PhD's in Manatee research are tucked away in warm College offices, not driving boats. You can still learn a lot, but it's best to read on your own and watch the scenary during the boat ride, not listen to the same old stale jokes/manatee facts.

Tipping: While most boats have a sign re Gratuities Accepted, none above verbally asked for one. Any that did were excluded from this list for obvious reasons.

Conclusion: Longest tour times, easiest experience, were from companies with boats already in the water. Best to try a few so you can compare.

Hidden Gems: Cute little pink boat called Captain Suzie. No idea where to find it.
Birds Underwater's cave and trimix courses for advanced divers
Manatee Dive and Tour's British/European group tours facilities
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/
https://xf2.scubaboard.com/community/forums/cave-diving.45/

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