Crystal River Manatee Swim: Unforgettable Wildlife Encounter

Swim with the manatees in Crystal River and experience an unforgettable wildlife encounter. Get up close and personal with these gentle giants in their natural habitat during manatee season from November to March.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Clear Kayaking Tours - Experience an incredible 2.5-hour guided kayak tour where you can swim with manatees, the most exciting activity in Crystal River! Enjoy a serene paddle through the waterways and explore various areas, unlike local dive companies that simply drop you off to swim and then return to the boat. Immerse yourself in the natural…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • Wetsuit
  • Life Vest
  • Kayak or Paddleboard
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Optional photo package for $37.99 at end of trip
  • Entrance fees
  • Admission fees
Additional Information

Our premier activity, the ‘Swim With the Manatees’ tour, allows you an intimate look into the life of manatees, especially on chillier days. The manatee season spans from November 15th to March 31st every year. Our local guides are well-versed regarding our waters, enhancing your chances of spotting multiple manatees under favorable conditions. The…

Location
1 SW 1st Pl
Southwest 1st Place
Our building is located on the right side of Pete's Pier Marina at 1 SW 1st Place, Crystal River FL 34429. Must arrive 30 minutes prior to reservation start time to complete check-in process.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(85 Ratings)
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Davidnk7514ja
Jan 12, 2026
Experience of a lifetime - Once in a lifetime adventure. Our guide John was an absolute marvel. He was extremely knowledgeable and very conscious of the surroundings. I would highly recommend this experience if in the area. Manatees were abundant and very personable, if thatsca real thing? The counter personnel were as friendly as could be. 5 stars all the way. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ghabeych
Nov 7, 2025
Fun experience to see manatees up close - Natalie and Rob did a great job guiding us to see manatees up close. They were both very personable and kept the experience fun and relaxed the whole time, all while keeping us safe in the water. Overall, it was a really enjoyable part of our vacation. Thanks guys!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eldrethp
Feb 6, 2025
Kayaking and swimming with manatees. - John was our guide and he was so informative and an excellent guide. A highlight of our trip to Florida. We would highly recommend this tour. And yes we swam withe manitees was amazing. I am 69 and husband 72 and we managed well for all ages!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maryann_d
Jan 12, 2025
Amazing - What a great experience! From check in to when we walked out the door it was amazing. Jon was a great guide and super friendly.
Review provided by Viator
Sthiessenne
Dec 25, 2024
Let’s Go Again!! - Jonathan was a wonderful guide for our kayaking out to swim with manatees. He’s kind, patient and very knowledgeable about how to best encourage others in their experience. We appreciated everything about our adventure at Crystal River! We want to go again!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mikeco1827sh
Nov 26, 2024
Great Day with Dani and the Manatees - A great day. Started off getting into clean, dry wetsuits and heading to the water. Dani, our guide, was kind and very personable, a real pleasure to spend the day with. She led us to quite a few manatees that we would swim around with and even spotted some dolphin on the way back in. This is my second trip with Paddles Outdoor, the first doing the swimming with the manatees, and I'll definitely be back more often.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jxlendon
Apr 25, 2024
An experience well worth doing - This was an excellent tour in beautiful surroundings with some awesome creatures!! We booked onto the swimming tour which had a mix of kayaking and swimming which was just what we wanted. Huge thank you to our guide for giving us all the tips and tricks we needed!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christieb530
Mar 11, 2024
Great experience - Amazing experience swimming with a manatee! Our tour guide and boat captain made the experience even better! Can’t wait to try this again when the weather is colder to see even more manatees.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
449shainal
Mar 8, 2024
Amazing experience! - This was such an incredible experience! Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to get up close to a manatee in their natural habitat. This tour did not disappoint. Our tour guide Jon was very knowledgable and made the trip fun. He took a lot of great photos of us out on the water. My only complaint...the tour wasn't nearly long enough! (which isn't even a bad thing, it just goes to show how much fun we had). 2.5 hours seems like a long time but I could have spent all day out on the water, kayaking and swimming through all the springs and channels. We had a great trip and can't wait to do it again :) Definitely a must see!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E75nnjamien
Jan 13, 2026
Pretty cool - Didn't see much but he tried! It was pretty windy and the waters pretty murky.
Review provided by Tripadvisor