Friday, February 21, 2014

Bucket List - Check!


Taking our tour boat down the Crystal River towards Three Sisters Springs in the hopes of seeing at least one manatee in the wild.  The weather has turned bad, all other "tourists" cancelled, so Scott and I are alone with our guide, Captain John, from Bird's Underwater.  He can't guarantee we'll see manatees...

Sanctuary markers; boats and people can't go beyond these markers.  They provide a safe space for manatees to rest.

We stop just beyond this point - we've got wetsuits, snorkels, and we're ready to go!  We no more get in the water than a large male swims upriver towards us!  It actually swims under Scott!  Ok, I've seen a manatee up close and personal.  I'm happy...

Cow and calf, we saw this pair while snorkeling.  This photo is taken later from the boat.

Here are some other tourists with the same mother and calf.  See how close they are?  You aren't supposed to touch the manatees but they can touch you!

Another manatee that swam past our boat after we got out.  Captain John estimated this manatee weighed about 800 pounds.  All in all, this was absolutely AMAZING!  We saw two mother and calf pairs and 12-15 manatees all total.  What a thrilling experience!  If you get the chance - just do it!

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