Gulf Coast Expeditions — Local services in Crystal River

I can't say enough positive about this company and Capt Ron. He's knowledgeable, funny and a genuinely nice guy. I can't remember the woman's name who actually capitaned our boat, but she was awesome too! **Tips: Bring warm clothes to wear after getting out of the water. Put them in an unused garbage bag or even a plastic grocery bag to keep them dry (we did experience some splashes on the way out to the manatee location). I brought a sundress to put on over my bathing suit when I got out which made it easy to take off my two piece bathing suit. wear a tight fitting swimsuit or bike shorts to wear under the wetsuit I am quick to get seasick and this was the smoothest boat ride ever...not a problem ( I guess that one isn't a tip but rather just an FYI) your snorkel mask does not need to be supertight. Apparently I wore mine to tightly and it left lines on my face that stayed there for a few hours ( I posted a picture with this review)... also I did not care about these lines because I was so happy with my experience with manatees go eat at The Crab Plant afterwards. It's so delicious!

Back to the review: Apparently Ron is a manatee wisperer. Even though it's towards the end of manatee season, we were able to first see a mating group and then have an incredible experience swimming with them. There weren't hundreds, but we saw a handful...and then a large female came to graze on the algae growing on the hulls of the pontoon boat. She worked her way up and down the boat, and in doing so, came very close to all of us many times over.

Lastly, I left my GoPro accessory case at the shop. Ron called me to let me know. Then he went back to the shop to leave it outside for me, which is when I asked him to do... all after a super long day of work on Saturday. His generosity of spirit is evident in all matters. You should not consider going with anybody else… This...

READ THIS! Seriously - just WOW - this is the company and people you want to do this experience with if you care about conservation and want to make life-long memories! Look no further - no one does this as well as they do!

I travel the world and participate in numerous adventures and my experience at Gulf Coast Expeditions with Captain Lauren and Leah was one of the best ever! I watched other tour groups on the water and hands down - we picked unquestionably the BEST! They both went above and beyond to make our time with the Manatees one of those memories you cherish for a life time. We loved that they also clearly have a passion for conservation and protection of this magnificent animal and its habitat.

They helped us be non-disruptive and created an environment for encounters that were safe and enjoyable for both us and the manatees. The manatees loved playing with us and we were practically in tears getting to interact with them in such an organic way.

A few tips (if you want them) - If you have younger people in your group that have never snorkeled, they may benefit from practice in a pool before your excursion so they don't become overwhelmed with trying to view the manatees and breath through a snorkel at the same time.

If you go in winter - bring a few more towels than you think you need - especially if you have people in your party who may get out of the water earlier than others to observe and wait. Lauren and Leah provide delicious hot coffee and hot chocolate and are fantastic to hang out with - so you are good to go there - but those that run on the chilly side - don't underestimate how cool you can get -...

As I got ready to write this review, I glanced quickly at the more recent ones. And we're all saying the same thing: Captain Ron and Lauren tell us right away that it's not the manatee season, but that they are going to do their very best to make this an unique experience for us!

And in my personal experience, that is exactly what happened! We arrived early, and Capt Ron was getting the boat ready. Lauren showed up shortly after and quickly got us into our wetsuits (a new experience for us Iowans!). Then, after the short video, we were headed our into Kings' Bay. I fully expected to see one manatee, and from several yards away to boot. And...I completely thought we would have to share the creature with the several other manatee experience cruises out there.

But we DIDN'T! In probably a combination of Captain Ron's magic and expertise and just very good luck, we had a WHOLE 45 minutes by ourselves with a beautiful manatee. It was amazing, and my 14-year-old son was pleased to be "nuzzled" by the creature. Lauren was with us the whole time and guided us in the best way to see and experience the manatee up close. She also took pictures and documented the whole experience for us - great, because we didn't want to deal with carrying a phone or camera on the boat! Both Ron and Lauren were friendly and asked us about ourselves...making us feel like we were special and that they were glad to hang out with us on a Thursday morning! I hope we get down this way again...we'll book here again and again and again! THANK YOU, RON AND...