Bird's Underwater Manatee Dive Center — Local services in Crystal River

This was our second trip to Crystal River to swim with the manatees, and our second time using Bird's Underwater. Repeat customer for a reason! These guys are simply the best. We planned our "girl's weekend" trip for the Manatee Festival weekend on purpose, because we wanted to combine a swim with the gentle giants and a fun festival. Then, since we were already there, we added a second swim on before we left for home. Both times we chose Bird's because, in all honesty, they are the only guided tour I would use.

Saturday we booked the 11am tour and had the fun pleasure of being on Captain Paul's boat with Rob as our guide. All of the places were packed with people, with the combination of it being a holiday weekend as well as the Festival, and there were not many manatees to be found, however Captain Paul and Rob went out of their way to make sure we had an opportunity to swim with a few of these magnificent creatures. They are not only skilled at their job, but their sense of humor and interaction with their guests make it a trip worth booking again... which is exactly what we did for Sunday.

We went back today for the 11am tour, and the weather was pretty rough and cold. There were definitely not as many people or boats out as there were on Saturday, but also the manatees were not as plentiful in the usual spots... so, blessed again with Captain Paul and Rob as our trusted leaders, we had an adventure instead of just a swim. Manatees are a wild animal and as such are not predictable (nor is the weather) and there of course can't be any guarantees on how many you will see or even IF you see any on your trip... however, our fabulous Captain and guide would not be happy until we found some manatees to swim with, and once again they did not disappoint! They took us around until they found a nice group of about 10 manatees that were much more interactive than the previous day, and it was truly a trip to remember. They are very attentive to the needs of their passengers... making sure they do all they can to warm them up on a frigid day, and most importantly making sure everyone came back to the dive center safely and in one piece. I was particularly impressed with the way they attended to one of the passengers who was having a difficult time in becoming overly cold, giving up their own warm jackets and going the extra mile to make sure she was safe and comfortable. Not only that, but upon knowing one of the passengers was celebrating a birthday, they took an extra effort by bringing a birthday donut, complete with a candle and leading the rest of the passengers in a rousing round of "Happy Birthday."

There are plenty of companies that offer guided manatee tours in Crystal River, but there is really only one to choose, and that is Bird's. You won't be disappointed! We will absolutely be a repeat passenger on our next trip to swim with these...

We did the 6 AM manatee swim with Birds Underwater and the experience was well-organized. The staff was professional, check-in was smooth, and the wetsuits provided were new and clean. I highly recommend them.

We booked our tour during peak season but only saw one manatee. The captain first took us to Three Sisters Springs and scanned the area from the boat. When no manatees were spotted, he flew a drone to double-check, but none were found. Since there were no manatees in the area, we didn’t get in the water and instead headed to Kings Bay, where we finally got in and searched. Unfortunately, the water was very murky (which seems to be the norm here). At one point, a manatee surfaced right next to me for air, but the visibility was so poor that I didn’t even notice it until it brushed against me. It stayed with us for about a minute before disappearing. Aside from that, we only saw bubbles in the no-swim area but no manatees.

Of course, this isn’t the tour company’s fault. I just want to emphasize that even during peak season, you can still get unlucky. If seeing manatees is a top priority, I highly recommend having a backup plan. We had booked another tour after this in a different area (Homosassa), where we saw many manatees, the visibility was much better and we had a great swim (but that tour company we used wasn’t very good).

If you’re booking with Birds Underwater, I highly recommend staying at the nearby PaddleTail Lodge. It’s just a five-minute walk away, which was super convenient and saved us from having to use...

If you want to see manatees, only choose this tour company. This company was recommended to me by my aunt who comes with school age children every year because she is the school nurse. It did not disappoint, even though the water was warmer and there were fewer manatees than jane or Feb. For me the trade off of having warmer water and lots of glorious Vitamin D packed sun and not freezing my buns off were worth seeing less manatees. Everyone on our tour got up and close and personal with a manatee. Captain Glen and Mac were the best tour guides you could ask for!!!! Captain Glen has amazing stories of just chilling with Jack Hanna and wrestling gators while Mac tells jokes the kids adore. Captain Glen finds the manatees, keeps you safe, and drives the boat as if it were the first language he learned. Mac is enthusiastic about teaching regarding manatee manners and behavior. At one point my daughter got tired and he went some distance back to the boat to get her and show her the 1st manatee experience she had. This means mom can relax and enjoy looking at the manatees. Wet suits are provided and snacks/breakfast are provided. Do the early 6 am tour if you are going to come in warmer temps. Well worth your money!!! Lots of beautiful fish and turtles too. I forgot my mini memory card for my electronic underwater camera or you would have manatee pictures too! My daughter whom is 10 absolutely loved it. We went the first...