Manatee Adventure: Small Group Snorkeling Tour
5.0
11 Ratings
Crystal River

Join our eco-friendly snorkel tour with manatees. Enjoy free photos and learn from passionate guides. Book now for a magical wildlife adventure.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Captain Mike’s Kayak Rentals - Dive into adventure and exploration! Unlike many companies that use a third of their tour time at a dive shop fitting suits, showing videos, and upselling souvenirs and photo packages, Manatees in Paradise ensures everything is handled on the water with no hidden fees or extra charges. The entire tour is dedicated to…
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What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • GoPro Photo Package (FREE)
Additional Information

At Manatees in Paradise, the company is a small, family-owned business with a deep passion for wildlife and the environment. Established in 2005 by dedicated manatee rescue volunteers, the focus has always been on protecting the declining manatee population by offering the finest educational and animal-friendly tours.
The ambition has never been to have…

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Location
Paddletail Lodge
Northwest US-19
We will meet you at the Paddle Tail Lodge boat docks 5-10 mins before your departure time. There is no need to check-in anywhere. Please wear a bathing suit under your dry clothes & bring a towel. There are restrooms by the pool available for use before/after your tour.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(11 Ratings)
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Jencv1153uj
Feb 12, 2026
Birthday swim with manatees - Amazing experience! We saw so many manatees in peaceful early morning waters. Our guide and captain Sandy and Jake were so welcoming and knowledgeable. They made us feel very at ease and made the experience super memorable with beautiful photographs. Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emma
Oct 21, 2025
Got to swim with a manatee and her calf! - We had a fantastic time on this trip. Jake and Casey were very knowledgable with a clear passion for what they do. Friendly down to earth guys and good fun to be with too. The highlight was swimming with a mother manatee and her calf. Such a special experience we’ll never forget. Highly recommend this tour.
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T396eyclairew
Oct 13, 2025
A fantastic experience from start to finish! - We had a fantastic three hours out on Crystal River with Jake and Casey, who were friendly, informative and went out of their way to provide an unforgettable experience. We quickly found two manatee and were able to snorkel alongside them. Unfortunately this part of the river was murky and though we would have been content with the experience provided, having had no expectations at all of being able to swim so close them, Casey suggested we move to one of the springs to try to have more visibility and wow, visibility we got! We spotted a hue array of wildlife and fish here including turtles and mullet and were also lucky enough to be able to have another experience with a mama manatee and her cub. Would highly recommend this company for their personal approach to providing these tours
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Robynab26
Sep 5, 2025
Amazing visit! - We booked with Manatees in paradise for our honeymoon and were not disappointed! We went out with Casey and Jake and they were friendly, knowledgeable and very caring about the environment the manatees are in. We were lucky enough to see one of the manatees despite it not really being the season for them and it was amazing being able to float so closely to her. They even took lots of photos of us with the manatee and the local wildlife for us to take home. 11/10, would recommend to anyone!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G9854ezmikes
Jul 20, 2025
We Swam with a Manatee! - This was a fabulous tour. Although it was the off-season, meaning that there were few manatees in the river, we were able to spend a good half-hour swimming along with a manatee as he grazed his way along the edge of the boat channel. After saying farewell to the manatee, we also visited the springs, which were interesting. The boat pilot and guide were both friendly and knowledgeable, and the photos that our guide took and shared (included in the tour price) were much better than the photos I was able to take with my underwater camera. Our tour size was much smaller than most, if not all, of the other boats we saw in the river. I would definitely book this tour again, although I would probably come back in the late winter or early spring when the manatee-to-tourist ratio is higher.
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A5484cifionac
May 18, 2025
A Unique, fantastique experience! - Jake & Casey were great guides, knowledgeable, interesting, kind and funny! Our semi-private became private as we filled the boat with just our group (US/Brits & French)! They went the extra mile to make sure we had a good time and it was wonderful to be able to swim with these amazing creatures. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kittydr89
May 6, 2025
Best tour company if you want to see manatees. - Fantastic guides and day on the water. We had Jacob and Tiffany and they knew exactly where the manatees were, even though it was not manatee season. We had the boat to ourselves which was wonderful. The tour was very informative and we swam in 3 Sisters springs also. Wet suits, mask and snorkels are provided, which you need! We brought our own snorkel gear just for our preference. I understand why this tour company is so highly rated, they deserve it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Moerose
Apr 21, 2025
Best Guides Around! - This is the second time we've gone to the river with Manatees in Paradise; they are the best! My girlfriend has herniated discs and was having trouble seeing the manatees in the water. Derek took her BY THE HAND and led her to where she could see the manatees. He also took a great picture of us with a manatee in the background. I highly recommend this company.
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Check Availability
From $79
From $79
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).
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