Plantation Adventure Center and Manatee Tours — Local services in Crystal River

This was the worst experience ever. Let's start off by saying the website shows clear to clearish photos of you and the manatees. They offer you photos and videos to purchase after the 3 hour tour. Our guide let us know that she didn't get anything really worth the time to view because you could barely see your hand in front of your face in the water. How is one to actually see the manatees! If fact they told us about the last tour a guy ran smack into a manatee face first because he couldn't see anything & they still took us out! .They took us to a cove full of about 15 or more boats all trying to see 1 manatee and the tour guides were calling 'DIBS' on who was next to let their group see the manatee, it was sad a a bit cruel. The guide would hop into the water and swim half way across the cove then hollar at us to float (don't swim or splash) to come see, by the time you "floated" there she would say it was gone or right under us, oh wait its gone again. I am pretty sure she just said it was there so they didn't have to refund us. I am not the only one who was frustrated, one man said "Why am I bothering, she is not staying with her tour and by the time we get there she will say it's gone". She honestly seemed like she was just done with her day. She never stayed with us and kept swimming off expecting us to keep up with her with out touching the ground, swimming or splashing! Next was the complaining about kids, saying they make tours hard because they don't know how to follow rules. All the while my 9 year old is sitting there listening to her talk like this!. I want to add, this kid followed every rule and was extremely well behaved ask the captain, she kept saying he was such a good kid. Our tour started at 2 pm, we didn't get into the water until 3:09 pm and they had us back at the docks at 4:30 pm. This was not a 3 hour tour. They offered us hot cocoa, tea and coffee. It was all cold. The video they show to start makes you feel like you will see a number of manatees, we saw ZERO, they told us the swimmers are the reason the water was so murky , that we stir up the silt by touching the ground. I am sure it had to do with the 15 plus boats in the area trying to see if they could find a manatee. I understand that manatee are wildlife and there is a chance you may not see them, this isn't our first wildlife tour, but it is by far the worst. They advertise a great experience and that is not...

Experience of a Lifetime! This was a bucket list item for me ever since I was a kid, and Captains Ed & Bob made sure it was everything I hoped for and more! They were so knowledgeable, passionate and caring about what they do as well as ensuring the manatees' wellbeing during our swim. We went early February, best time of year to see the manatees, and took the earliest semi-private tour available. We got to watch the sunrise over the river and were the first boat on the water. Our captains took us to a beautiful area, made sure we were comfortable and informed before getting in the water, and Captain Ed was right there with us the whole time. He knew patience was key and he knew where to wait for the manatees. He even redirected another tour boat with a large group of people off to a different location, to keep our semi-private experience small and special. Eventually the manatees woke up and came out to play, one after another, even a mom and baby. They were so curious and friendly! Kisses, handholding, bumping into us with little flipper hugs, and rolling over for belly rubs. Right out there in their natural habitat. Incredible! Captain Ed is like the manatee whisperer, they just swim right up to him and follow him around. He guided us through the whole experience by spotting the manatees, bringing us near them, informing us all about them, and snapping hundreds of breathtaking photos and videos for us while we interacted--following all the rules of course, letting the manatees approach us etc.-- (which we got after the tour on an adorable manatee shaped USB). After a few hours we got back on the boat for hot coffee & chocolate, then went back to the dive shop to watch the slide show of our amazing swim. The scenery, the manatees, the whole thing was truly incredible and will always be one of the best things we have ever done! When in Florida DO NOT SKIP THIS and be sure to ask for...

I've had the pleasure of visiting The Adventure Center Plantation on Crystal River twice this winter. The first time was a birthday surprise, and it was so wonderful that I booked the same tour for the following weekend. Both times I did the small group at 9:45am, and both times we had Captain Dave at the helm and Tyler as our dive master, manatee guide, and photographer. We also had a lovely interaction with the manager, Henry.

Our first weekend, Jan 26, was at the tail end of a significant cold front which meant there were a lot of manatees (and people swimming with the manatees). Tyler was great at navigating our little group and ensuring we had a terrific experience. He gave excellent guidance throughout and really helped all of us relax and appreciate the moment. He got great photos for us so we didn't need to do anything other than be present. When the press of less-than-polite snorklers from other outfits started to get to be too much, Dave and Tyler brought us to an alternate location where the visibility under water was less, but we were the only humans in the water with about 6 manatees as they fed. It was breath-taking.

The next week, just 6 days difference, was a completely different experience, manatee-wise. The weather had warmed enough that almost all of the manatees had left for the gulf. Despite the lack of animals, Tyler and Dave managed to find two that were happy to hang out near us. What we lacked the quantity they helped us make up in quality and we four spent a lot of time in the shallows watching a big male manatee munch on the shoots on the bottom.

I look forward to going again next winter and I do recommend them happily. They are a small shop and they did suffer damage from the hurricanes, so we are extra glad to give them...