Swim With Manatees For A Lifetime Experience

Manatees are lesser known aquatic creatures, often known as the gentle giants because of their extremely shy nature. They are much like dolphins and sea lions in their nature and, once acquainted, they will allow humans to play with them inside the water. Huge though their size is, manatees are absolutely harmless to humans, and even children can very safely play with these creatures, swimming with them and even touching them endearingly.

The coast of Florida is the greatest ground for manatees, and in their breeding season, one can find huge numbers of these creatures in the coastal shallow waters. Manatees are also found abundantly in the Crystal River and the Homosassa River in Florida. Swim with manatees Florida vacations are extremely popular. Here, in the peak seasons, people can find even up to three hundred manatees herded together in the waters, especially in the two rivers and in the coasts off Orlando and Tampa. Most swim with manatees Florida vacations are narrated and guided tours, where people are not only shown the manatees in their natural habitat, but they are also made aware of the normal mode of existence of these gentle creatures of the deep, and made conscious of the need of their conservation.

Manatees are found in waters from up to three feet to sixty feet. Most excursions of swimming with manatees will require small groups of people to go by boat up to the required depth of water, from where they can snorkel into the water and check out the creatures. Since manatees will also wade into shallow waters, people who do not want to actually enter into the water can still see the manatees sitting in the boat. The best time to go for manatee watching is in the mornings, when they are at their playful best. Hence, most swim with manatees excursions are carried out in the early mornings. The best season is from November to April. The excursions could last for up to three hours, with about two hours of time in the water with the animals.

There are, however, many restrictions when you swim with manatees. There are only about 3000 manatees left today, so the WWF has labeled these creatures as endangered. That is why, people are not allowed to scuba dive into manatee territories, and boats are not allowed to navigate where idle manatees are present. Even when swimming with manatees, people are not allowed to hug or ride the manatees. However, touching the manatees with one hand is allowed.

If you plan to go for a swim with the manatees, you will need to take your wetsuit along, belong you will be in the water for a long time. Of course, you can also rent it out from most of the organizers and the same applies for snorkeling gear. The organizers will also provide lodging for people who come in. A vacation to swim with the manatees is usually a big affair for Americans, because it becomes an important part of a whole vacation to Florida, which is one of the hottest tourist states in the country.

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