Manatee Swim Center - Crystal River, Florida

Tammy M.

This was an experience of a lifetime!! Captain Chaz and Jake were the BEST!!! They knew right where to go for us to see those wonderful manatees! We seen so many and even a baby that was nibbling on my mouthpiece!! My daughter flew in from KC and this was on her bucket list!! They were chewing on her hair and Jake got the best video of it!! It was a cold early morning and they had coffee and hot cocoa for us when we got back on the boat!! 10 stars from me!!

Mayla J.

I had a blast with the crew. Captain Morgan is very knowledgable, patient and sweet and a fantastic photographer. Hurricane Helene greatly affected the water clarity and she was still able to take amazing pictures and videos and I could see that she cares a lot about the manatees as she was very sweet and gentle around them. I went on the 6:45 AM group and we were the first ones to arrive and encountered several manatees. Initially I kept getting spooked by the manatees because I could not see them until I was basically face to face with one or I would accidentally bump into one but I eventually got used to it. Some manatees did interact with us and one decided to hang on my back. Please enjoy some of the pictures Captain Morgan captured it bellow. 🤣

Henry L.

An Unforgettable Manatee Adventure with an Amazing Crew!

We had the most incredible experience with Manatee Swim Center on Thursday, February 6, during their 7 AM tour. From the moment we arrived at 6:45 AM, the staff made us feel welcome and well-prepared for the day ahead. We met Bri outside the office, who turned out to be our manatee tour guide. She was friendly, professional, and gave us clear instructions on what to do next.

Inside, Ethan greeted us and walked us through the necessary paperwork, including a liability waiver. Afterward, we were assigned wetsuits and gathered to watch a National Park Service video on manatee manners. This was incredibly informative and emphasized the importance of respecting these gentle, protected creatures.

Once we were ready, we walked down to the pontoon boat and met Captain Morgan—yes, her real name! She was cheerful, knowledgeable, and set the tone for a fun and safe adventure. We headed out into the bay, and though the crew wasn’t sure exactly where the manatees would be, they were confident we’d find some. Sure enough, our eagle eyes spotted a few, and we quickly geared up to get in the water.

Before jumping in, Captain Morgan and Bri gave us a mini class on how to use the snorkeling equipment and explained the safety gear on the boat. Once in the water, Bri stayed close to guide us to the manatees. The water was a bit cloudy, but her spotting skills were top-notch. And then, we saw it—a mother manatee, around 800 pounds, munching on Easter grass at the bottom, followed by her adorable baby. It was an absolute dream come true!

We spent about an hour swimming carefully around the manatees, ensuring we didn’t disturb them. Bri even took photos for us, which was a wonderful way to capture the memories. Back on the boat, we were greeted with hot coffee and hot chocolate—a thoughtful touch that warmed us up after our swim.

Next, Captain Morgan took us to the crystal-clear springs at Three Sisters. Swimming through the small canal to reach the springs was magical, and the water was unbelievably clear. Bri pointed out various fish species, including mullets, sheepshead, and snook, adding an educational element to the trip.

As we swam back to the boat, we had one final treat: a small manatee swam right past us on its way into the springs. Seeing this gentle creature up close was the perfect way to end our adventure.

Back at the dock, we changed out of our wetsuits and met Bri in the office to view the photos and videos she had taken. It was a wonderful way to relive the experience and take home lasting memories.

We highly recommend Manatee Swim Center to anyone looking to snorkel with manatees. The entire crew—Bri, Captain Morgan, and Ethan—were professional, knowledgeable, and made the experience unforgettable. Thank you for such an amazing day!

H F.

Best experience ever! We did the private tour, six seated heated boat. A 6:30 am arrival and a cold morning was worth the experience of a lifetime! There were several engaging, playful manatees not to mention almost every turn was a manatee sighting! Most importantly our guide Sara and captain Andrew made a fantastic team! They were more than knowledgeable and love what they do which made our experience extra special.

Kayce S.

Amazing experience with Morgan and (Guy) Morgan! It was me, my 3 children ages 14, 7, and 4 and my aunt who was just an observer.. but this was the best 3 hours of the week long trip! This was just an incredible experience and I highly recommend it to any and everyone. Having a manatee be right under me..I was in heaven! Morgan is great with kids, as she pretty much got my 4yr old son to want to swim all on his own now and she’s incredibly knowledgeable of everything! Please go and learn about these beautiful mammals! I wish I could upload videos!

Arthur B.

Such a great day! I went to a business meeting near Crystal River. Our group decided to take a day and get out on the water. Capt. Paul and Lucas took great care of us. Very professional and friendly. They made sure all of us knew what we were doing, made sure we were safe and made sure we had fun. I’m bringing my family back to do the same trip with them!

Bunker R.

We first used another tour service and it was ok. We decided to try the Swim Center later that day and was a little more expensive. But Wow! Way more better customer service! Our captain Glenn was so awesome! Very knowledgeable and made every effort to get us to the right locations. We swam for hours with the manatee’s and was incredible. Highly recommended!

Danielle P.

We had an amazing experience swimming with manatees. We had Sara as our swim guide and Chaz as our captain and if I ever come back I’ll request them. They had such a passion for manatees, their protection, and educating people on them. We were fitted with wetsuits, watched a short video on manatee manners, then were off on the boat. We were able to swim to 2 springs from our boat, the first had 3-5 manatees and we had left early since there was a tagged manatee that needed space, so we tested another spring that had 10 manatees in crystal clear water. It was breathtaking. They were resting so we observed from a distance then went to the first spring again since the tagged manatee had left. We saw a few more then went back to the boat. The entire time Sara took pictures and videos of the group and the manatees. Chaz helped us back into the boat and was ready with hot chocolate/ coffee and towels. When we got back to the shop we changed and watched a slide show Sara put together of all the pictures and videos. I had purchased a photo package so we got a tiny manatee shaped flash drive with all of her context from our trip on it. It was an incredible experience.