About Crystal River Manatee Swim In Kings Bay National Wildlife Refuge

Itinerary

Called Crystal River for a reason, you will have the chance to swim and snorkel in the warm spring fed waters where many West Indian Manatees call home. Located just 1.5 hours West of Orlando, you'll meet your guide who will take you into the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge which is known as the best locations for viewing and snorkeling with these friendly, curious and slow moving and gentle giants.

Stop At:

â€¢ Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, 1502 SE Kings Bay Dr, Crystal River, FL 34429-4661
â€¢ River Ventures, 498 SE Kings Bay Dr, Crystal River, FL 34429-4718
â€¢ River Ventures - Homosassa, 10823 W Yulee Dr, Homosassa, FL 34448-3817

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OPERATES

363 Days a year - Monday thru Sunday

INCLUSIONS

Use of equipment (mask, snorkel gear and wet suit)
Beverages (bottled water, coffee and hot chocolate)
Professional guide
Introductory/instructional video offered in English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish

EXCLUSIONS

Gratuities
Food and beverages (unless otherwise specified)
Photo DVD (available to purchase)
Towel and swimsuit

ADDITIONAL INFO

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Adult pricing applies to all travelers
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wetsuits are available in all sizes from toddlers (2 years old and up) to adults up to 5X
It is advised that you have your swimsuit on underneath your clothes for a quicker check-in
Please bring a towel and a plastic bag to hold your belongings
Not wheelchair accessible
Children under 3 years old are not allowed on this tour. Please call for other options.
Most travelers can participate
Post COVID-19 Policy- We are mindful to thoroughly clean water vehicles between visitors.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands

DEPARTURE & RETURN

498 SE Kings Bay Dr, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA

TERMS & CONDITIONS

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

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Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 10 reviews

Reviews

196kristend 5
07 Feb 2022
We did a snorkel tour with trish and Wade and had the most amazing time. They really make sure to educate you about the manatees and how to properly snorkel with them without disturbing them. We had so much fun! The manatees seem to know trish and come up to her and interact with her all the time so we got a lot of face to face with them. Highly recommend them. Thank you so much
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audpar12 5
07 Feb 2022
Wonderful wonderful tour Courtney was an awesome guide and Shelly was an incredible captain. An A+ team definitely keep those 2 together for a great customer experience!! Thinking of doing your homosassa tour as recommended by Shelly! Thanks again
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KayliaK2 5
06 Feb 2022
Lindsey and Captain Pete were great! Both were super knowledgeable and gave us plenty of fun manatee facts and information about the area. And we were able to see plenty of manatees! Lindsey took amazing photos. Can't wait to do it again!
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Fundihu 5
06 Feb 2022
After a friend took the trip and extensive research and back and forth, we finally took the plunge. We booked an 8 am tour, as we read that manatees tend to be more active early. Also because it was January and cold, so felt that the 7 am would be too cold for hubby. We were not disappointed. Wet suits were available in all sizes, and we were given lots of information on manatees and habitats. Took other's online advise and took flip flops and towels and needed them. Have cash to tip! Loved Sarah and Captain Pete.
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Debra_T 5
06 Feb 2022
Swimming with the manatees was so beautiful! Just being in the water and watching them was so peaceful! Captain Mike JJ and Marissa were awesome!
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Chris_L 5
05 Feb 2022
Kelly was great!!! first time snorkeling and felt confident in the water. Would like to do it again soon
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kellyhZ4292RX 5
04 Feb 2022
Weeks later and this tour is still making me smile. I had no idea how much me and my friend would love this experience. In January, We joined the afternoon swim with Kelly and couldn't leave Florida without swimming again in the morning with Liz! I am glad we decided to go twice because each tour was so different and both had their magical moments. In the afternoon we saw fewer manatees, but still got amazing pictures and got to see some eating. Our second swim was at 7am and there were moments we were surrounded by manatees because they were so active. Both Kelly and Liz were amazing guides and had unique facts they told on their tours. Our boat captains also had their unique styles of making the experience more enjoyable from sharing stories of their own manatee encounters to hot water in the wetsuit. The staff at the shop were kind and welcoming, some even brought the dogs in lovingly referring to them as landatees. I cannot recommend this tour enough!!
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sarasY9312KL 5
30 Jan 2022
JJ and Emerson were awesome!!!! It doesn’t get any closer or better than this. At least 15-20 manatee came right up to us in the water. Great pictures and memories
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Camper205660 5
27 Jan 2022
The swim with manatees experience with River Ventures was awesome! The whole staff was very friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Our guides, Chip and Shellie were great getting us to where the manatees were as well as educating the group and giving us other ideas for stuff to do in the area as well as great stories about local characters and history. The icing on the cake was the manatees. Spending time snorkeling face to whiskery face with manatees and lots of fish was an amazing experience. I highly recommend River Ventures.
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heathernw13 5
24 Jan 2022
We brought our granddaughter to Florida for her Golden Birthday and this was one of our excursions. We had a group of 5, Kelly and Pete were our guides. This was the first time for all of swam with the manatees and it was an awesome experience!! Everything we needed was provided for us. Kelly and Pete are both very knowledgeable and all of us highly recommend them!! We experienced several manatees on our tour, but we did come at a cooler time of year. The bay was full of manatees and their baby's. Thank you for the great experience and fun!
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