Wonderful, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Seeing manatees this close was amazing!! There is so much to do in this area. Wish we had 1 mor day to bike and kayak too.

Went on the 8am trip on 21st January. Friendly staff, wetsuit etc sorted quickly and easily. Good safety and 'what not to do' video.We were lucky that the weather had cooled and plenty of the lovely manatees were to be found....snorkelling with them for approx 45 minutes was fabulous. Guide stayed with us and offered advice when necessary (and a warm coat on the way back as it was so cold ❄)The water temperature was deceptively warm and the whole experience was great and it was my birthday

We just dropped in to their boathouse/shop, which is right on the riverside, on the chance they may have 3 adult places on a Manatee snorkel tour. They had a boat leaving in 15 minutes with only one other snorkeler so we made 4. It cost us $55 each for a 3 hr trip inc wetsuit (mandatory) & mask/snorkel. The snorkelling is not escorted in the water so your party needs to be confident snorkelers. Getting on and off the boat was very easy on ladders. We were taken to the 3 Sister Springs first, the cox/captain said he does this to get you used to the water and equipment. He dropped us close to the narrow entrance and explained how to get to the springs, not far but a very narrow channel. These were worth seeing, so it was a bonus, huge craters/sinkholes on the river-bed with bubbling centres. Back on the boat we went 'Manatee hunting', a slow and respectful tour of their favourite places. The cox/captain told us about the history and the work undertaken to create the reserve. He is a local and his small tour company was one of the first on Crystal River. He explained that they can have hundreds of Manatees in the reserve site over the winter months but in October there are likely to be around 40, it covers a huge area so no guarantee of an encounter. He was very conscious of how to have a potential encounter but with every respect to the Manatees. He was firm that we need to be respectful and unobtrusive, quiet and make no contact. We came across an adult plus a mother and younger one. He stopped the boat a few metres away and explained how to approach and keep a distance. We were able to get up reasonably close and observe the 3 swim past us and floated a shorted while watching the mum happily munching away on the riverbed grass. They are huge creatures but very gentle and seemed unperturbed that we were close by, I think mainly because we followed our Captains instructions and kept a reasonable distance. We left that spot and did visit another but didn't see anymore Manatees. It didn't matter, we had what we had hoped for. This was an amazing and quite moving experience, definitely VFM. I recommend this small and local company as I believe they really care for the Manatee habitat and welfare.

We were there in peak manatee season, yet because of unseasonable warm weather there were very few manatees in the bay or springs areas, Be ready for NOSEUM flys. they will bite you and you don't even know it, painful welts form 24 hours after and itch like hell. Be sure to use some NOSEUM repellent, they sell a natural spray in the dive shop and it works great

Was a fantastic amazing trip. All the staff encountered was so warming and welcoming to us. They made sure my stay was pleasant and inviting to an environment I was not comfortable with. Meals and rooms were perfect. Thank you all for exceeding my expectations. I hope to come back.