I still haven't seen the original of this message and this is my second
attempt at a response.  My computer is not cooperating and I'm too lazy to
set the other one up for a brief AM jaunt into the world of Scuba SE.  Funny
that I get messages from Australia before messages from Florida.

I'm surprised that anybody actually dove Three Sisters.  I find it very
interesting, but it's hardly deep enough of complex enough to warrant a tank
of gas.  Since I didn't see the word "scuba" in what Strike included in his
posts, should I assume we're talking snorkeling here?

In the Crystal River area, there are only two "dives" I know of.  The
springs, which I assume were your first dive if you were on scuba, are
pleasant when there aren't a lot of other people stirring things up.  The
other dive is off a private dock , just to the right of the docks at the
Best Western.  It's a shallow spring that resembles a mine entrance when you
do it at night.  It holds blind (I think) catfish, hence its name, catfish
hole.  In the day, it's just a hole.

If you liked the visibility at Three Sisters, just wait until you see
Rainbow River.  This is a drift dive.  You get picked up from a park and
taken up stream on a pontoon boat.  It's a good snorkle, but I like to dive
it.  At only about 20 feet, a single tank lasts for the whole drift and then
some.   It allows me to play with the fish and turtles and to closely
inspect all of the springs bubbling up through the sand bottom.  It's in the
same general area.

As for harassing the manatees, don't.  They're protected and the
conservation people are quite serious about protecting them.  If you rent a
small boat to explore on your own, as I usually do, idle speed is the
requirement for the whole area.  On the other hand, manatees are quite
sociable.  They will approach and invite you to rub their tummy or scratch
their back.  Even a mother with calf will approach someone who is not
agressive.  While they prefer to just hang around, they are easily fast
enough to leave any diver behind ,which they will if you approach them
quickly.  They're not exactly afraid of scuba, but they do seem to be more
comfortable around snorkelers.

A few years ago, most of us were away from the boat looking for manatees
when a male one approached the boat and the few remaining people on it.  One
of our famale friends, in her wetsuit, looks a bit like a manatee, or did to
that male.  Jayna suggested she get out of the water when the manatee rolled
on his back and proudly displayed what he had to offer.  I was not there,
but if Jayna's description is even close to correct, that manatee had reason
to be proud.  Jayna and our friend had reason to get out of the water
quickly.  Based only on this incident, I conclude that manatees can be just
a bit too friendly.

Lee