Fun 2 Dive - Swim with Manatees — Attraction in Crystal River

There are so manatee tour operators to chose from and I can tell you—this is the one if you want small groups, highly informative guides, and a family feel. Jessica (guide) and Brody (captain) were so friendly and knowledgeable—a bit of manatee trivia every minute! They found so many manatees for us and the photos they took were spectacular. Only $45 for tons of photos (over 75!) and videos too of our group. Jessica would pull us over to manatees to catch the best image, which was especially helpful if we were awkwardly bobbing around in our 5 mil wetsuit clinging to our pool noodle. The pre-briefing at the shop was easy. Jessica knew our exact wetsuit size without asking our weight so there was no shame for anyone worried about fitting into one (some of us have more latitude than longitude). The changing rooms were ample sized and private. The short, 10-person only (meaning tons of room to spread out) exceptionally clean boat ride over was quick and very informative from both Jessica and Brody who knew so much it was amazing. The entry into the water was an easy ladder with Brody helping us if we needed it. Brody would spot manatees from the boat and tell Jessica who was in the water with us wearing adorable Christmas Reindeer antlers. Believe it or not, your hair does not have to get wet—and Jessica’s antlers stayed dry the whole time. All snorkel masks and snorkels felt brand new (I’m a diver and typically love bringing my own gear but these were better than mine—they used SEAC). They helped us with mask defog (no—not spit) so we saw through our mask lenses perfectly the whole time. After what seemed like almost too much time in the water (a good thing!) we all headed back, were helped onto the boat and then served either hot chocolate or hot tea. All 10 of us chose hot chocolate, mini marshmallows included! Bring your own towels. On the boat trip back Jessica told us her favorite insider lunch spots and of course shared more of her Einstein brain about manatees. She even offered to take our photos with our phones for us at the beginning of the trip. Once back, it was easy to change in the changing rooms and bottled water and hot coffee are freely waiting. You can preview the photos before buying, and you get a link that you can share with others if you do buy. The gift shop is well stocked too to purchase any ornament, T-shirt, wood carving art, magnet, keychain, etc. you want. Tipping was private with little envelopes provided that you hand over at the cash register. The captain and guide share tips and you can tell they treat each other well. It felt like family. Sadly, no manatees cuddled me like I saw on YouTube but my bucket list item has officially...

Tyler was our guide and Garrett was our captain. We booked a private tour; it was by far one of the best experiences ever!! My first comment will be…if you follow all of the rules in the video you are required to watch before your tour and the guidelines and suggestions from your captain and guide, you will have the best time possible!! Fun2Dive provides you with a wetsuit, snorkel, fins (if you want them) but remember to take a towel!! Be sure to take sandals (waterproof) to wear on the boat before and after your dive or have a pair of dry socks and shoes for when you get back to the shop. Do not take a bunch of stuff with you on the boat because if you are with a party there isn’t room for a bunch of unnecessary items on the boat. Your guide will take photos, which are for purchase after your tour (trust me, you’ll want them!) at the time we went we got all 130+ photos for just under $50!!! I am by no means a good swimmer and Tyler was very patient with me and made sure I was doing ok quite often; which helped me feel even more relaxed and comfortable. Seeing the manatees and learning even more about them from Tyler and Garrett is something I will never forget! Tyler took us down into I believe was Three Sisters cove (I’m sorry if the name is incorrect). While in there I had turned over to float on my back to get the water out of my mask (yes, first time ever to snorkel). As I was cleaning out my mask I heard something behind me which at first I thought a swimmer from another group had come up behind me and blowing their snorkel out…it wasn’t! It was a manatee that came up to get a breathe and as he was going back under rubbed up against me (melting my heart, of course). We saw a juvenile that had to show us he had a stick and was playing with it as we watched him. Tyler was quite popular with a baby manatee because he kept swimming up to and away from him for a good 10-15 minutes! We saw at least 5 or 6 mothers with babies and all the babies varied in size and age. We were quite fortunate in our timing of our tour because counting the ones we saw on the way to and from the area we anchored for our tour we probably saw 40+ manatees! All of the staff at the shop were very nice and helpful as well!! The shop was quite fun just to walk around and look at the different manatee related items they have available (of course I didn’t leave without 5 or 6 things!) I would definitely give the entire Fun2Dive experience a 10++!! Highly...

Fun2Dive We could not have had a better experience! When booking something like this there are many variables so make sure you consider the time of day, weather conditions, water conditions and expectations. After reading some reviews we knew what we were in for and there’s always a chance you don’t get to see much it any. Fortunately for us we saw more than we could count! The trip started off with the great staff helping size our family of 5 up for the wet suits. Kaylee was out guide and she was extremely helpful and made us all very comfortable with this being our first time wearing a suit or going into a river like this. After getting suited up we were shuttled a few minuets away to meet our Captain, Gavin, who made us all feel very safe on the boat including our youngest who is 7. Gavin and Kaylees knowledge of the water and manatees seemed unmatched. They had very detailed instructions for safety and any questions we had. We learned a lot about the area they live in that we would be snorkeling in and the manatees themself. It was a cool morning, 50 degrees, and the 72 degree spring water felt amazing. Water was pretty clear and we could see everything we needed to see with our goggles. Not only did we see more than we could count we saw numerous babies with their mothers and gigantic sleeping ones. Some swam right under us for what seemed like forever and you would never know they were there unless you looked under the water because they’re so calm and gentle. My youngest was nervous to swim so Captain Gavin moved the boat to a shallow area so she could get down and walk with her noodle even spotting schools off fish and manatees near her. Gavin showed a lot of patience and pride in what he did and helped her be very comfortable I hope you will get Kaylee and Gavin as we did. In the water Kaylee helped navigate us around other groups and get to some prime locations to see them coming out of the sanctuaries or where they were already resting in the river. She got some amazing photos of all of us with them! Fun2Dive is well worth the chance at seeing these great mammals in the wild. On the way back on the boat they offered more info on the manatees and hot chocolate and tea...