Everyone got a buoyancy noodle, so floating on it wasn`t very tiring and cost every little energy – similar to the manatees themselves! HOMOSASSA, Fla. — Cool weather is the perfect season to swim with manatees, and Citrus County offers the most unique experience in the entire country. The clarity of the water was mostly amazing and left no doubt as to why this place was called Crystal River and was only silted up by the manatees lying on the seagrass beds below. Although Crystal River manatees are present year-round, their numbers increase significantly during the cold winter months of December, January and February. This is nature, not a petting zoo. I honestly think there`s no reason to touch a manatee while swimming – but some manatees, especially young ones, are very curious and can come and examine you (manatees are very short-sighted). In this case, you can reach out to the manatee so that it can brush or inspect it. After one of the most incredible hours of my life, the manatees drifted away and we all returned to the boat, where fresh refreshments and much-needed snacks awaited us as we headed to the Three Sisters Springs for even more snorkeling. Before you expect too much to swim near an endangered species, please note that you MUST follow the guidelines posted above and on the activity site so that these animals are not disturbed. You are responsible for your own behavior near the site of activity – your actions not only affect your enjoyment, but can also affect others in the area and the animals that use the habitat. I was skeptical at first if I could really swim with manatees in Florida in their natural habitat, and a little worried about booking. Just like I was before seeing whale sharks in Cancun, tiger sightings in India or manta rays on the Komodo Islands. However, after talking to owner Bill `Bird` and hearing about their excellent reputation for over 20 years, I signed up for one of their Crystal River manatee tours.
Anyone with knowledge of the incident is asked to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922). This helpline can also be used to report harassment of injured, sick, orphaned, implicated or dead manatees or manatees. In mid-December 2014, SAP proposed interim measures to manage human interactions in shelters, particularly during the Three Sisters Spring. She suggested in part closing spring during periods of extreme cold until a more detailed strategy for the coming years is developed. On 30 December 2014, the Commission issued an opinion on the proposal and recommended that the interim measures allow at least the immediate short-term closure of Three Sisters Springs during periods of high manatee use (e.g. more than 50 animals) or where there are indications that manatees are displaced from sources by human activities. We also recommended that ASAs limit the number of swimmers and boats allowed in springs at one time to protect dormant or lactating manatees from disturbance. Finally, we recommended that ASAs develop and implement a monitoring program to collect information on the use of sources by swimmers and kayakers and the response of manatees to their presence.
However, the famous Three Sisters Springs are only inhabited by manatees during these winter months, and it`s rare to even see a manatee here in the summer. Some less reputable companies don`t have their own jetties, which means longer transfer times and less time in the water, some don`t focus on manatee wellness, some take too many passengers by boat, and some were late for play, meaning we left the manatees for their morning sleep, Their ships just appeared. Florida manatees are large aquatic mammals native to Florida. Adult manatees typically measure 9 to 10 feet long from snout to tail and weigh about 1,000 pounds; However, they can grow to more than 13 feet long and weigh over 3,500 pounds. Manatees have two fins on the forelimbs that they use to control movement and maintain vegetation while eating. A large, round, flattened paddle-shaped tail is used for swimming. You should also not touch a manatee because it is against the law. The main rule of the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act is that it is forbidden to touch these slow marine mammals. According to CCMT guidelines, manatees cannot be looked at, but not touched. Touching manatees can also result in a violation of U.S. federal laws such as the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Generally, touching a manatee is punishable by a fine of up to $500 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days under the Manatee Sanctuary Act.
However, if touching an animal is considered extreme or results in injury or death, federal protection laws can be enforced with a fine of up to $50,000 and/or up to 1 year in jail. The Crystal River and Kings Bay area is the only area in Florida that monitors swimmers around manatees. Posting guidelines and sanctuary rules must be followed. Please follow the instructions of volunteer manatees and law enforcement officers who are looking for the manatees` best interests in this area. The manatees that remain in this place need warm water from the springs to survive the cold winter. Please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website for more information about the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge in Crystal River, Florida. For the remainder of the winter, FWS shelter staff temporarily closed the entire spring several times as temperatures dropped to low levels and large numbers of manatees entered the spring to thermoregulate them. On a spring day, the number of manatees exceeded 500 animals. Subsequently, we reviewed spring management at our annual meeting in May 2015.
At that time, we were informed that additional measures would be proposed in the coming months to further improve protection until the next winter cow season. To date, the proposed measures have not yet been published. Luckily, fresh coffee was waiting in the store before leaving, where we were quickly fitted with thick Scuba Pro wetsuits, snorkeling gear, and knowledgeable how to swim safely with the manatees. There are about 40 to 45 permanent manatees in Crystal River, which explode to about 850 during the colder winter months because local springs provide a relatively hot spring that is not available in the Gulf. If you can plan your trips around these peak times, you`ll probably see a lot more manatees. Manatees can be found in many Florida waterways and can be hard to see, especially if you`re traveling on the water in a boat. You can see a vortex on the surface caused by the manatee when it dives; see an animal`s back, snout, tail or fin break the surface of the water; Or you can only hear the manatee when it emerges to breathe (as shown here). In all these cases, keeping a distance and passive observation are the best ways to observe manatees. (For more information on boaters, see “A Boater`s Guide to Living with Florida Manatees.”) There are many, many Crystal River manatee tours on offer, and it can be difficult to choose the best option. Still, my experience with Birds Underwater can hopefully give you insight into what to look out for and how to have a sustainable and safe interaction with a company that puts manatees and its customers first.
I can`t wait to head back to the Crystal River (an iconic Florida natural landmark) for another manatee swim and reconnect with Birds Underwater 100%! While some manatees are conditioned to human interaction, the vast majority of manatees tend to seek food, rest, and warmth away from humans. Disturbances can drive manatees out of hot water protection zones, often with fatal consequences. These areas need to be expanded to protect wintering manatees from cold temperatures and nuisances. Under the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, it is illegal to harass, harass, disturb or, as Waterman discovered, hug a manatee. Federal laws also protect species listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature`s Red List. Instead of showing our love and compassion for wildlife by hugging them, we would probably help more by giving manatees and other animals their space and just letting them be. It is important to remember that the best practice for interacting with all types of wildlife is passive observation. You get just close enough to see the animals clearly without touching, disturbing or disturbing them. Harassment is any activity that can change their natural behaviour and increase the likelihood of danger to animals. These actions include attempting to hook, hold, catch, catch, hit, ride, or hit a manatee. Harassment also includes attempting to feed or water a manatee, moving your hands or objects to a manatee, and pushing, pushing or poking with your hands.
Confusion with wildlife can also lead to the transmission of diseases, whether from humans to manatees or from manatees to humans. And if manatees got used to being hugged by random boys and girls, they could get used to the presence of humans and perhaps learn to get too close to humans, increasing their chances of being cut up by a boat — currently the leading cause of manatee death in Florida.