Selfie Does Swimming with the Manatees!
So, the underlying thesis of this blog is to live a life of adventure even when your schedule doesn’t have you venturing past your front yard. Evidently this means I have to actually do things besides watch Veronica Mars* on Hulu or buy things online. Both of which are couch activities...and uh, I can**write about online shopping but I needed the opportunity to actually do something better the end of my summer.
[Cue:] Me stumbling on a Groupon and suddenly remembering how I’ve always wanted to swim with the manatees and having some time off. Thus, a trip to Florida! I’ve never done it before because I mentioned it once years ago and no one wanted to go. However, having traveled so much for work and just generally not caring about that sort of thing, I took myself.***
No Manatees were harmed in the taking of this picture.
And it was AMAZING!! And weirdly scary? See, manatees are super gentle and amazing but they are also huge. And come out of nowhere in murky water and then, you’re like “AHHH!! Giant River Beast!” And then you’re like, “Aww. manatee! Yay!” So, it’s a roller coaster of emotions.^ At any rate, it being the off-season, I arranged for the earliest tour of the day and made the 90-minute drive to Crystal River. Because manatees like cooler waters, it’s easier to see one early in the morning. This worked out in my favor since we saw 11 manatees and got swim with eight.
Some things of note should you, also, dream of swimming with the manatees:
1) The river is pretty cold, man. You wear a wetsuit but even so at the then of our time, I was ready to get back on the boat even though we had a sweet guy, hanging out, munching on grass right in front of us. For clarity, “sweet guy” = a manatee.
2) Before we set out to the boat, we had to watch a video about proper manatee treatment. This does two things: First, it makes you very nervous about abiding by these rules. Second, it includes examples of manatee harassment^^ including video footage of people WALKING on manatees and…just what the actual hell?!
3) So, what does proper manatee swimming consist of? Passive observation which means you don’t kick your feet, you quietly doggy paddle without disturbing the water and you ensure that swim next to or above a manatee. Manatees, on the other hand, are totally allowed to touch you and try to eat your wet suit.
4) Awesomely, manatees will swim right next to you and you can even hear them chewing underwater and ripping up the eel grass that they love.
5) High Season is November through April when manatees are attracted to the warm springs which stay about 72 degrees in the winter. There are seven springs in the area around Kings Bay and the most popular is Three Sisters.
6) “But Selfs…it’s fresh water. In Florida. What…else is swimming with you?!” Fun fact! The springs are too cold for full-grown gators because they need warmer water for proper digestion. I did not know that either.
Manatee Fun Facts!
“What is happening? Is this your sixth grade science project? Why are there so many fun facts?” Shhhhh. Just enjoy, nerd.
1) Manatees are tactile animals. They can’t see or hear very well which is why people have to be calm and quiet in the water - their little hairs feel vibrations.
2) Without any other natural defense mechanisms, the only defense a manatee has is to swim away, and they are faster than you think but not fast enough.
3) Best way to spot a manatee in the cloudy water is by looking for air bubbles or a manatee nose. Also, the movement of a manatee underwater creates a footprint in the water, much like whale watching.
4) Eel grass is a manatee’s favorite food because it is plentiful and nutritious. Eel grass is also long and will get tangled in your goggles and brush against you in shallow water *shudders * ^^^