3 Hour Small Group All Inclusive Manatee Swim with free Photo pkg
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Crystal River, USA
+22
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience the unique thrills that come with getting up close and personal with Crystal River's manatees. This small-group tour offers an educational, exciting, and eco-friendly adventure run by locals dedicated to protecting wildlife. Step away from everyday life into these protected Florida waters to create lasting memories, immortalized in your included photo and video package.
- Don’t worry about packing kit, everything you need is provided for ease
- Discover manatees in their natural habitat: An experience most Florida visitors miss
- Bottled water provided for your refreshment
- Enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of a small-group tour
What's Included
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of Snorkelling equipment
- wetsuits
- Bottled water
- defog
- photo and video package.
- Gratuities
- Parking (Pete's pier charges a 10 dollar parking fee)
- towels
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1 SW 1st Pl, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA
When you arrive at Pete's Pier Marina, we'll meet you at the gift shop located in the parking lot of the pier. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. We'll also be contacting you the day before your departure with meeting instructions. We can't wait for your awesome manatee tour!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- No professional cameras or photographers with out prior consent from operator.
- Not recommended for travelers who are not comfortable at least floating in the water
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
AMAZING! The Go Local crew was great. Super knowledgeable about both Manatee and the area. Found us some Friendly Manatee to swim with, even at a time of year when the population is low. I can't recommend them enough!!!!!
Reviews
5.0
based on 2,011 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Really great experience, Tommy and Bailey were super knowledgeable, friendly, and communicative, and even though we came at the wrong season, we got to see their resident manatee Billy Idle and follow him around for a while. The three springs were beautiful, and the water was lovely. Such a unique experience, we had a better view of the manatee than the kayakers, and could get fairly up close and personal with our snorkels. There were a lot of other fish visible in the water as well, so there was always something to see. Bailey took some great photos and videos especially of the manatee and I’m grateful to have more keepsakes from this experience.
Size inclusive wetsuits - goes up to 5x for adults, photos/videos are free with the experience, the people who work here are all local, and the company is locally owned so you’re supporting a small business.
Captain Tommy was great and hit all the marks. He was able to provide the intended purpose of the trip.
This is the tour you need to book over any other Manatee tours. The team and overall experience we had exceeded expectations. Even in “Off season”, we had a very intimate viewing with a manatee. Guide was also very knowledgeable and learned a lot too. No notes. Just a great experience
We had the rare opportunity to come upon a female manatee that was in labor. We also saw another female and her calf in three sister springs. We got to have a very close encounter with 'Billy Idol'... he was so intently focused on grazing he didn't pay us any attention at all. The guys with Go Local Manatee tours are local, born and raised in the area and are intimately familiar with the manatees, their habits, their grazing patterns and best of all how to locate them. The guys were courteous, very helpful in and out of the water and respectful of some individuals in our party's apprehensions. They also provided us with tons of pictures and video free of charge. We had a great time.
Our guides, Tommy and Jessica, did a great job. Although a quiet season for manatees now, they located one pretty quickly. We arrived and were joined by a 2nd manatee. We were also lucky to be the only couple who booked that date/time so we got to spend nearly an hour with that pair of manatees - just floating with them, watching them eat, sleep, stretch and snuffle along. So amazing. We went to 3 sister's springs, too, where the water was amazingly clear. And we met another manatee!
We would definitely recommend GoLocal. As everyone who works for them grew up in/around Crystal River their knowledge is second to none. They made sure we had the best time, gave us a little tour, and the picture were awesome to have.
100% recommend and would do again!
A great experience. Staff were professional and very friendly. They are locals that grew up in the area so they have exceptional knowledge. We were new to snorkeling and they gently walked us thru the experience. Our guide in the water assisted us to get to the manatee and was given us advice to help us remain calm. They found manatees, even a mother and her two week old manatee. It was a great experience. The manatees are a gentle creature who were not upset with us being there. Definitely we will be using Go Local Manatee Tours again. You can’t go wrong with them.
My daughter, my niece and myself had a spectacular once in a lifetime experience with Tommy and Bailey yesterday swimming with the manatee!! They are both locals and knew lots of fun things about Crystal River and local wildlife. The pictures Bailey took yesterday were excellent and many will be framed in our homes and put on canvas!! Bailey was a great guide pulling all of us along to get as close to the manatee as possible and showing us the 3 sister springs!! Once in a lifetime excursion to get up close to the manatees with the best guides in the world.
Wonderful experience with guides who were versed in appreciation and respect for the beautiful Crystal River area and the wildlife that inhabits it. Tommy and Jessica were professional, kind, and extremely knowledgeable. We truly appreciated their humor and determination to see as much a s possible. This was one of the best tours I’ve been on in a while. It’s nice to see locals sharing their love for their local community with others. Genuine, incredible experience.
It was an absolutely incredible experience. We were fortunate enough to be the only two on our tour. The owner of the business was our captain and we had a diver with us as well. They made the experience so personal and enjoyable. We were able to follow a female manatee around and as we were headed in we spotted a momma and her baby. We got back in the water and were able to see the baby up close. It was an incredible, memorable experience. Thank you so much!
Polite and professional. Was texted about possible viewing issue the day before and asked if we wished to change to another time, we could not change. The crew we had was Tommy and Bailey, great guys. They went above and beyond to get us views. We swam with the manatees for a couple of hours and enjoyed the whole time. We are not young and we're worried about getting in and out of the boat they helped at all stages and the trip was a breeze.
If you are thinking about this style, go local! Thay are great.
Bailey and Tommy took such good care of us! We saw a manatee right away and a second joined shortly after which made me feel so lucky since it’s not manatee season in the springs. Bailey went above and beyond to take so many amazing pictures and video of us and the manatees which we received free of additional charge! I highly recommend this experience.
Not the best time of year for viewing but Captain Tommy and Derek were fantastic at searching with a drone to find the manatees. Our group was just the two of us and we have awesome pictures and videos. The tour was informative with a little extra time to explore the spring and the bay. We totally will be returning in prime season to view the 100’s of manatees in their natural environment once again. You won’t be disappointed with this crew or company!!!!
A True Opportunity of a Lifetime! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟This was truly an amazing experience! Swimming with wild manatees was the opportunity of a lifetime. Stephanie and Captain Tommy were absolutely amazing. They are both locals, incredibly knowledgeable, and so passionate about these beautiful animals.Within minutes of leaving the dock, we were already in the water with a mom and her calf swimming right close to us. In total, we got to swim with three adults and a baby! I cannot recommend this tour highly enough.
10/10 recommend! The guides were amazing and did a wonderful job. Even though it was the off season, they did a great job of making sure everyone in the group saw at least one manatee. Especially love that this group is made of only locals and takes ethics into account. This size group is perfect. All in all, would go again!
This experience was the best way to see manatees. The guides knew where to go and we loved the photos they took of our underwater activity. Highly recommend!
This is the second time I have taken the Go Local tour in Crystal River. The tour is always different depending on the manatees and the tides. There wasn’t much to see regarding manatees since the visibility in the water was so poor, but the trip to the spring and the history tour of the bay more than made up for the manatee scarcity. My grandkids really enjoyed our guides Derek and Eric. We also have fun pictures from the trip. I will definitely take this tour more times with different family members
This was a top notch tour! From the swim guide to the captain everybody made us feel like priority #1! We enjoyed every minute of our tour. We can't wait to come back and do this again!
The team were fun. They looked after us well. They were very knowledgeable and it was fun learning. We would highly recommend this tour!
This was a fantastic adventure! Tommy and Derrick were our guides and they were so knowledgeable and great! Since we took this tour outside of “manatee season” Tommy was clutch and found us the only manatee in the area to swim with (all the other tours then followed. When it was overrun with adventure poachers we moved on and toured around to the three sisters and then to see a couple of gators. Derrick was our in water guide and he was fantastic with the 10 and 5 year old that we had with us. That really made the experience wonderful because the kids were comfortable and safe. All in, we are very much looking forward to coming back when the season is right and will not book with any other company than GoLocal!
Went on tour in July so only saw one manatee but it was up close. We also went to three sister springs which was amazing. Would recommend going to see manatees in the winter time you will see many more.
We have great time!
Great day - the tour guides/hosts, Stephanie and Tommy, were very friendly, knowledgeable and likeable.
They really helped make the experience one to remember, 5-stars and highly recommended 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The tour was amazing and having locals guide us was the best part. Tommy and Bailey knew the area well as well as the history of the area. Having a small group of 6 gave it a very personal experience and made it very comfortable. We will definitely take the tour again the next time we are in Crystal River.
Absolutely perfect day with Stephanie and captain Tommy! We saw several manatee and even a few gators in a different area we asked to go to . Three sisters spring was cherry on top!! You cannot do better than this LOCAL tour group , was thinking of kayaks SO glad we choose to get in water instead
Wonderful, bucket list experience! We went into this knowing it wasn’t manatee season, but just hoping to get lucky. We were not disappointed, as they found us one to swim with right away. We were able to spend ample time with him, as this company keeps their groups small as to not overwhelm the manatee. Then after we had our time swimming along side him, they took us to the springs to snorkel. What a magical day! Their local knowledge and hospitality made all the difference. We will return in the winter for sure and would absolutely book through them.
Be patient and have a blast. They provide goggle and wet suit if u want it. Tommy and Stefani are amazing and very knowledgeable about the area and all the animals.
We had an amazing manatee tour in Crystal River! Tommy and Bailey went above and beyond to make sure our family had the best possible experience. They took their time with us, kept us out longer than expected, and found a secluded spot where we were able to get up close and personal with the manatees in a peaceful, unforgettable setting.
Our kids absolutely loved it, and so did we. Tommy and Bailey were knowledgeable, patient, and genuinely cared about making the tour special. This was one of the highlights of our trip, and we would highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Crystal River!
Peter and Stephanie were awesome! They made sure we got to see and swim with manatees. I love the photo package included. They were very patient with our 5 year old and ver knowledgeable about the area. Overall it was a great experience. Would definitely stay local and go out with them again!
This was hands-down one of the best tours we’ve been on. Tommy and Jessica positioned us perfectly to get close to the manatees and gave clear, easy-to-follow instructions so we could see them up close. We changed into wetsuits right on the boat so we could hit the water quickly and beat the other tour groups out to the manatees.
Jessica was incredibly knowledgeable — she answered every question we had about the manatees and the surrounding area with ease. You could tell she really loves what she does.
Overall, it was the best day! Highly recommend this tour if you want an unforgettable manatee experience.
We had a great time. 5 manatees went into the springs just ahead of us and we were otherwise by ourselves. The guides were great at finding them and taking us to swim with them. They even got many great photos of everything. 7:00 am is the time to go in the summer.
My family of four had a very fun experience with Misty and Derick. I would recommend this tour to any family looking to experience manatess and the three sisters springs.
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$76.00
per personWas $80.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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3 Hour Small Group All Inclusive Manatee Swim with free Photo pkg
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