Swim With Manatees In Crystal River, Florida

From $89.00 per person Lowest Price Guarantee

Select Date and Travelers

You can select up to 10 travelers in total.

Adult (18-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 10

Child (5-17) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 10

Book online or call: +1 437 970 2890

Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Swim With Manatees Tour in Crystal River

2 Adults x $89.00

$178.00

Approx Total

$178.00

Inclusions / Exclusions

Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Private transportation
Use of Snorkelling equipment
Wetsuit
Life Vest
Kayak or Paddleboard

Gratuities
$5.00 Per Person City Kayak/Paddleboard Launch Fee
Optional photo package for $34.99 at end of trip

Overview

Our guided "Swim With the Manatees" tour is our number one attraction. You get the opportunity to experience manatees up close and personal in their natural habitat on colder days. Manatee season runs from November 15th through March 31st each year. We have amazing local guides who know our waters very well so you could spot several manatees in the right conditions. The colder the temperatures, the more manatees you will see. On warmer days/weeks, some tours get zero manatees because it is a natural environment and they are not always around to see. The manatees head back out to the Gulf of Mexico where the food supply is more bountiful for them. You will learn the right way to interact with these amazing animals through passive observation and learn all about our ecosystem here in Crystal River.

Meeting points

We are located a few hundred feet off of US 19 in Crystal River on NE 1st Street. We have free parking available and we shuttle you to our launch area which is 1/2 mile away. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ARRIVE 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE DESIGNATED START TIME OF YOUR TOUR. NO REFUNDS IF YOU ARRIVE LATE FOR TOUR

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

This is an AMAZING 2.5 hour guided tour to swim with manatees, which is THE coolest thing to do in Crystal River! You will get to paddle peacefully through the waterways and explore different areas, unlike the local dive companies that only drop you off to swim and get back on the boat. You get to experience all of the local nature that Crystal River has to offer visitors. This package comes with everything you need including a single kayak, a wetsuit, snorkel gear, paddle, life vest, and a fantastic local tour guide. The tour group follows one of our local guides through the beautiful waterways and will learn about the eco-system, see many various birds, fish, and of course some amazing manatees! There is an optional photo package to purchase at the end of your tour with photos taken by your guide along the way. This really is a bucket list trip for many people so reserve today. We require you arrive 30 minutes prior to your start time to watch a video from the FWC and sign waivers. There is a $5.00 City of Crystal River launch fee per vessel rented. This will be collected at our shop before departure and you will receive a wristband to wear while on the water.

Additional Info

Service animals allowed
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Moderate physical activity is required to kayak/paddleboard and swim with the manatees.

Free Cancellation

April 25100% refund

April 26No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.7

68 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

5 stars

60
4 stars

3
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1
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1 star

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We perform checks on reviews

We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 60 reviews with 5 stars

Amazing

Published on Jan, 2025

What a great experience! From check in to when we walked out the door it was amazing. Jon was a great guide and super friendly.

Let’s Go Again!!

Published on Dec, 2024

Jonathan was a wonderful guide for our kayaking out to swim with manatees. He’s kind, patient and very knowledgeable about how to best encourage others in their experience. We appreciated everything about our adventure at Crystal River! We want to go again!!

Great Day with Dani and the Manatees

Published on Nov, 2024

A great day. Started off getting into clean, dry wetsuits and heading to the water. Dani, our guide, was kind and very personable, a real pleasure to spend the day with. She led us to quite a few manatees that we would swim around with and even spotted some dolphin on the way back in. This is my second trip with Paddles Outdoor, the first doing the swimming with the manatees, and I'll definitely be back more often.

An experience well worth doing

Published on Apr, 2024

This was an excellent tour in beautiful surroundings with some awesome creatures!! We booked onto the swimming tour which had a mix of kayaking and swimming which was just what we wanted. Huge thank you to our guide for giving us all the tips and tricks we needed!!

Great experience

Published on Mar, 2024

Amazing experience swimming with a manatee! Our tour guide and boat captain made the experience even better! Can’t wait to try this again when the weather is colder to see even more manatees.

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