>From: Carol
>Hi,
>I suspect it may be Lee who knows the answer to my question here.
>I'm going with a friend to stay in Fort Lauderdale in February.
>I have always said that if I visited Florida again I would swim/snorkel
>with the manatees but it seems that Crystal >Springs is the best place to
>go. That, however, is a few hundred miles from FL.
>Is there anywhere nearer that would be good?
>Cheers
>Carol
Hi Carol. Manatees are occasinally seen all over Florida, in both salt and
fresh water. Sightings in most areas are chancy and infrequent. Given the
number of boats, and boat props in use here, that's a good thing for the
manatees, but not for those that want to visit them. In the winter, once
the ocean or Gulf of Mexico cool below about 70 degrees F, manatees move up
fresh water rivers and congregate wherever they find both food and warmer
water. To snorkel with them, you need a combination of factors that you
don't find just any time or just any place. You need cold surrounding water
near warmer freshwater that is clear enough to see the manatees. That most
often happens in and around Florida's freshwater springs, most of which are
in the central and northern part of the state. As you note, that's a couple
hundred miles, about a 5 hour drive, from Fort Lauderdale.
If you've never snorkeled with Manatees, I think it's worth the trip to do
it at least once. The most reliable place I know to snorkel with manatees
is in the Kings Bay portion of the Crystal River. That's on Florida's west
coast, about 60 miles or so above Tampa. When we drive up that way to visit
the manatees, we normally stay at the Best Western in the town of Crystal
River. They're not what I'd call a luxury resort, but they have clean,
comfortable rooms for a reasonable price. They also have a dive shop and
rent small boats. I rent from them rather than towing one of my own boats
up there. If you prefer to let somebody else guide you, there are operators
in the area that do that too. Going with a tour operator the first time
increases your chances of finding manatees. Like most wild animal
encounters, there are no guarantees.
More or less in the same part of Florida, the Homosassa attraction, in
Homosassa, Florida, has an underwater viewing station where you can see
manatees without getting cold or wet. Weekee Wachee springs, another
tourist attraction in the area, also has underwater viewing available.
If you decide to head up that way, don't miss a chance to snorkel the nearby
Rainbow River. There's a park on the river where operators will pick you up
and take you up stream. You drift back to the park at your own pace.
Depths are in the 10 to 20 foot range and the water is crystal clear.
There are two places in Fort Lauderdale that I've been told the manatees
often visit. Both are near the Florida Power and Light Company cooling
water outlets (warmer water). I'm pretty sure one of them has been closed
to public access as a manatee sanctuary. The other is on the west side of
the Intracoastal Waterway, between the waterway and the sanctuary. It's
pretty much right across from John U. Lloyd State Park which is between the
Intracoastal and the Atlantic Ocean. The park rents kayaks, which are
probably the best way to interact with the manatees. To get there, though,
you have to cross the Intracoastal which, on weekends, tends to be a bit
congested with power boats. You can cross it safely, but you have to be
careful. I know where both locations are, but I've not visited either
personally. Rumors that manatees are usually there may or may not be
accurate. As far as I know, water clarity in both areas is such that
snorkeling with the manatees in these areas may not be particularly good.
I'll see if I can find out more. When do you think you might be visiting?
Even if you don't find manatees on the west side of the Intracoastal,
snorkeling in the ocean off John Lloyd park is pretty nice. Snorkeling off
Lauderdale By the Sea, up by Commercial Boulevard, is better.
Lee
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