All-Inclusive Small Group Manatee Swim with Free Photos
Recommended by 100% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Crystal River, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Snorkel with manatees in Kings Bay on this private, family-friendly tour. Everything is taken care of for you, including wetsuit, snorkeling gear, in-water guide, and a boat with a maximum of six guests. Find the manatees, then jump overboard and observe these creatures in their native habitat while your in-water guide captures photos of your experience so you can focus on having fun.
- Get in the water to see manatees in their natural habitat
- Wetsuit and snorkel gear are provided for your convenience
- Enjoy a personalized experience on this private excursion
- In-water guide captures photos so you can enjoy the experience
What's Included
- Use of Snorkeling equipmentUse of snorkeling equipment ($10 value!)
- Wetsuits ($15 value!)
- Bottled waterAnd hot chocolate on cold days
- In-Water Tour Guide
- Photo Package taken by In-water Guide ($50+ value!)
- Gratuity for captain and guide
- Towels and bathing suits
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Nature's Discovery - Manatee Swim Tours32 SE US Hwy 19, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA
Meet us at our shop location fifteen minutes ahead of your tour time to get checked in and suited up with wetsuits!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- THIS EXPERIENCE CAN ONLY ACCOMODATE 6 PERSONS MAX!
- 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
This was such a great experience. I highly recommend booking with them. Friendly staff and knowledgeable Captain and guide. Captain Jake and Steven made it a fantastic trip. Steven captured some great pictures. I will definitely be back.
Reviews
5.0
based on 882 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
50 reviews
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Travelers consistently praise the knowledgeable and patient guides and instructors for their clear communication and safety focus, which contribute to personalized and informative experiences. Snorkeling activities with manatees receive high marks for close encounters in small groups and ample swim time. Captains are noted for their professionalism, friendliness, and wildlife expertise, enhancing the enjoyment and educational value of the boat trips. Overall, the experience is described as well guided and memorable.
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A nice day on the water. We saw two mama manatees with their babies and learned so much about these gentle giants. Lots of awesome pictures were included as well. Highly recommend!
The tour was excellent ad the equipment in good condition. Guide was responsive to our needs. My only concern were the puppies living in a cage, inside their building. The odor of urine overwhelmed us and stung our eyes and lungs. The puppies barked constantly. We were eager to get outside of the building. (this was in 2025).
Reid was an awesome tour guide. Kids said it was the best experience of their life. I definitely recommend.
Small locally owned company. They went out of their way to make it memorable. Even when we had a hiccup, they made it right
Guides are exceptionally personable ask for Hina & Jake. Very knowledgeable regarding area and wildlife, and other activities to do in the area. Best places to eat. You do not feel rushed always asking if you have questions . Thank you Hina & Jake for a wonderful experience!
There aren’t enough positive words to describe our amazing experience today with Nature’s Discovery! Most other companies cancelled due to wind conditions, but our amazing captain Jack and guide/grade A photographer Kaya were determined to bring this amazing experience to us. To say they succeeded is a gross understatement. They were both friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. Not only did we see manatees, we swam and got up close and personal with these amazing creatures! We saw a total of four and spent quality time with them in the water. Jake helped spot them from the boat and Kaya made sure both my husband and I were able to enjoy every second we had, despite choppy water and partly cloudy skies. If I could give them a thousand stars, that wouldn’t be enough to express my gratitude for them for giving this emotional, heart warming experience. We will be back next year and we will request Jake and Kaya because I can’t imagine that anyone else could do a better job than they did today. Thank you for everything!
Loved our manatee snorkeling trip with Natures Discovery. The in water guides and captains were so knowledgeable of all the wildlife we encountered not just the manatees. We went at the end of March and were able to see plenty of manatees. My family consisted of age ranges 6 years old to 66 years old, it was so nice to have a small group and the guide ensured that everyone was able to see the manatees. Also, an added bonus that the use of wet suits and photos were included with our package. Definitely a once in a lifetime encounter!
Jake and Kaya found us a manatee right away to snorkel with and observe! We enjoyed watching her eating and living her best life!
Went during February break and Maya was super awesome in guiding our group. There weren’t too many manatees during the time we went due to the water temperature, but Maya found a mother with her babies (they were a lot bigger than what we were expecting). We went around to the other local springs for a quick swim and she picked up some shells for my sister. The water is beautiful and the captain had some hot chocolate for us since it was a bit chilly out when we were heading back. I can’t recommend this experience enough.
It was wonderful, had a great time, saw alot of manatees and close up. Our guide Maya was fantastic, nice, friendly, laid back. Some in our group went back to boat after an hour but Maya said she'd stay out til the last person was done, and she did, we stayed our whole allotted time after all you can't swim with manatees every day! It was worth every penny. This was my 2nd time doing this, last time used a different company but I highly recommend this one was better. We did the small group one. Maya took the best pictures and videos too!
This was amazing!!!! My daughter loved it (9 years old). We will remember this forever!! A must do!!!
This experience was so fun and everyone involved in this business was so nice. Overall it was a wonderful experience and would go again!
Swimming with manatees was a bucket list for us. The tour was very friendly and took us to an amazing spot. We got extremely lucky while we were out -as a family of at least a dozen manatees swam out of the sanctuary beneath us. It was a great experience.
We had a wonderful experience! Everything was well organized, from getting wetsuits and the transfer to the boat. It took a while until they found manatees for us to swim with, but we had plenty of time in the water, and they made sure everyone had the opportunity to see a manatee close up. Great fun, despite the muddy water, and the boat ride alone was wonderful as well.
Would totally do this again!
Set enterprising company especially Jayden who was our tour leader. Specialised service and every client is carefully considered during the adventure. Small groups approach with great success
Jake and Hunter are excellent guides. They didn't take our group to the same site as all the other tours we saw at 3 Sisters springs. They found a manatee that only our group was able to observe for about 45 minutes uninterrupted. We were able to be within a couple of feet of the manatee.
After that we went to see the springs. Then on to watch more manatees.
My wife and I have been on many wildlife tours in Alaska and Hawaii. I would rate this tour among some of the best we've seen.
Hudson and Jake were great. We saw lots of manatees. I wasn’t expecting such great pictures and they were shared immediately after we got back.
Our family had an absolutely unforgettable experience snorkeling with the manatees at Nature’s Discovery today in Crystal River. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations.
The Captain Jack and our guide Hina were personable, knowledgeable, and so much fun to be around. They made us feel comfortable right away, explained everything clearly, and shared so much great information about the manatees and the area. You could tell they truly care about the animals and about making sure their guests have an amazing experience.
Swimming alongside these gentle giants was peaceful and surreal — one of those moments you just stop and take in because you know you’ll remember it forever. The crew made sure we were in the right spots, felt safe the entire time, and still kept things light and enjoyable.
If you’re considering a manatee snorkeling trip in Crystal River, don’t hesitate. This was hands down one of the best family experiences we’ve had, and we would do it again in a heartbeat.
Five stars all the way! 🌊🐋✨
Mya was a great in water guide and Evan did an excellent job of gauging the boat into some terrific spots. We’ve done one other manatee tour and this was our best experience with guides
We are so glad we went with this outfitter and the small group experience. It was a seemless experience. We saw other huge groups of tours who were all competing to get close to the manatees. Our group was small enough to cruise to less busy channels where they were eating. Our guide Jalen was knowledgeable and always watched out for our safety and satisfaction. Highly recommend!!! Please note: tour out fitters have zero control over crowds and weather conditions.
This was such a great experience. I highly recommend booking with them. Friendly staff and knowledgeable Captain and guide. Captain Jake and Steven made it a fantastic trip. Steven captured some great pictures. I will definitely be back.
We had an absolutely wonderful experience on our manatee tour in Florida! From start to finish, everything was well organized and stress-free—and the free photos included with the tour were such an amazing bonus. It was so nice to be able to stay in the moment and not worry about taking our own pictures, yet still come away with beautiful memories captured for us.
Our guide, Hudson, and Captain Evan were fantastic hosts. They were friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what they do and about protecting the manatees. Hudson did an excellent job giving clear instructions, making everyone feel comfortable in the water, and sharing interesting information about the area and the animals.
We were paired with a family who did not speak English very well, but that was not a problem at all—Hudson was able to communicate effectively and made sure everyone understood and felt included. He kept the group together the entire time, which made the experience feel safe, relaxed, and personal.
We ended up with incredible encounters and great pictures to capture the memories. This tour was truly one of the highlights of our trip, and we would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a memorable, well-run manatee experience with a terrific crew!
The service was excellent. Tina called me the morning of our 4 pm time and asked to move us due to High winds and minimal chance of seeing a manatee. We did move it to the next morning. Steven did a wonderful job in finding one that we swam around with for over an hour. The visibility was low, due to overcast skies and wind picking up. The experience was great! The boat captain was also great! Would recommend them!
Amanda and Jake were great! The water the manatee were swimming in was murky but they can't control that. They worked together to find the manatee and did take us to the clear spring and a mom and baby manatee came in, turned around and left but we saw them super clearly across the spring. Amazing!!!
We took a small group tour to snorkel with manatees. Jake and Mandy were our guides for the day and they were amazing! They were very knowledgeable and did their absolute best to give us the best experience. The number of manatee sightings does depend on weather! We did see three total which was amazing along with a ton fish and turtles. 10/10 recommend!
Such an awesome experience!! So many manatees! We even heard a baby squeaking!! The water was chilly but also expected in February. Evan & Kaleb were super knowledgeable. Evan made my girls & I hot chocolate when we got back on the boat. There was 1 other couple in our group with my 2 daughters & I. Loved a small group. 10 outta 10 recommend!!
We had a great time with Captain Evan and Guide Steven. They were super friendly and showed us where all the mandates were while in the water and on the boat. They took great pictures during the whole trip and sent them to us immediately after, no extra charge. We would definitely choose them again. It was a great experience!
This tour was amazing! The tour guide and captain were professional and knowledgeable. They showed us around the area and found the best location to see the Manatees. We found a spot that there were more than a dozen. It was magical! It was a cold day and they made us hot chocolate to keep us warm. The facilty and boat were clean and in great condition. The pictures provided were awesome! We will be back to do this tour again!
It was great. Hung with a sleeping manatee for about an hour. Jaden was great at coaching us and preparing us. Never enjoyed a hot chocolate so much! Evan was great at spotting the manatee too. Can’t wait for the pics.
Great time. Relaxing float with manatees. Lots of them. Steven was an excellent guide and was a wealth of knowledge. Jake captained the boat like a seasoned sailor.
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per personWas $95.35(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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