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Manatee Encounter: Intimate Snorkel Adventure
5.0
122 Ratings
Crystal River
Explore Crystal River’s wildlife on a scenic boat tour to Shell Island. Spot dolphins, manatees, and more. Discover Florida’s hidden coastal gem.
Explore Crystal River’s wildlife on a scenic boat tour to Shell Island. Spot dolphins, manatees, and more. Discover Florida’s hidden coastal gem.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge - Experience an intimate interaction with the gentle giants of Crystal River, the Florida Manatees. With a maximum of six guests per tour, enjoy ample space, personalized service, and memorable encounters with these magnificent creatures. Ideal for families or small groups seeking a relaxed, close-up…
- Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge - Experience an intimate interaction with the gentle giants of Crystal River, the Florida Manatees. With a maximum of six guests per tour, enjoy ample space, personalized service, and memorable encounters with these magnificent creatures. Ideal for families or small groups seeking a relaxed, close-up adventure! The price includes all snorkel gear, wetsuits, hot chocolate, and photo packages.
What's Included
- Use of SCUBA equipment
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Underwater Photography Package
- Entrance fees
- Shaded Boat
- Hot Chocolate and Tea
- Bottled water
- Cooler with Ice
- Use of SCUBA equipment
- Use of snorkeling equipment
- Underwater Photography Package
- Entrance fees
- Shaded Boat
- Hot Chocolate and Tea
- Bottled water
- Cooler with Ice
What's Not Included
- Parking fees
- Parking fees
Additional Information
Embark on a personal adventure with Crystal River’s cherished inhabitants, the Florida manatees. This semi-private tour accommodates only six guests, ensuring a serene and customized experience on the water. Our package includes snorkel gear, wetsuits, and a photo package.
Your U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain and in-water guide will lead you to prime…
Embark on a personal adventure with Crystal River’s cherished inhabitants, the Florida manatees. This semi-private tour accommodates only six guests, ensuring a serene and customized experience on the water. Our package includes snorkel gear, wetsuits, and a photo package.
Your U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain and in-water guide will lead you to prime locations to observe manatees in their natural environment. With smaller group sizes, you’ll enjoy more space, extended time in the water, and enhanced opportunities for personalized guidance and wildlife education. Photos and videos are included in all excursions.
Swim alongside these gentle giants, discover their behaviors, and create lasting memories, all while benefiting from the comfort and intimacy of a smaller group.
Whether traveling with family, friends, or seeking to join a small group, this semi-private tour provides the ideal mix of privacy, adventure, and value.
Location
Pete's Pier Marina
Southwest 1st Place
Meet at the floating docks at Pete's Pier. These docks are easier for guests to access as they adjust with the tide.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(122 Ratings)
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D6286wklorit
Jul 24, 2026
Prolly the best thing we did in Florida - Capt Bill and Capt Tyler were amazing! Very nice and knowledgeable about the area. We found a manatee fairly quickly and stayed in the water for what seemed like a good amount of time. They took us to another area to just get out and enjoy the water. On our way back, they provided lunch recommendations too! Our daughter was a little nervous about getting in the water and Tyler was excellent at making her more comfortable. Maddie says you’re the goat Tyler! 😄 Would definitely recommend them for a manatee swim-knowledgeable, respectful of the environment and the animals, and a lot of fun!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leahsy639mo
Jul 22, 2026
Excellent experience!! - 10/10 would recommend booking Seacow Safaris. We went with our young children and literally had the best time. It was off season, which meant manatees were sparse, but Megan and Mac did everything to make sure we got to enjoy our experience while still maintaining the utmost respect for the environment and animals. They were very kind to our children, fun, knowledgeable, did not rush us, and provided great pictures. I cannot say enough good things about them! If you're trying to decide which company to book with, this is the one!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kellycb989ht
Jul 12, 2026
Meet and greet with Big Bertha Boudreaux - We had an amazing time from the minute we stepped on the boat till the very end. Tyler and Faith were the best. Within 10 minutes we were in the water swimming with Big Bertha Boudreaux! He/she was an amazing host as well by taking us on a feeding frenzy through some pristine clear waters. My encounter was all that I could have imagined. Being able to swim side by side to this magical animal is a check off of my bucket list and more of a memory that will last a lifetime.
Thank yall Seacow Safaris for an awesome time!
Kelly and Chris
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveladdix411
Jul 12, 2026
Manatee Swim - This was definitely a bucket list opportunity for us. We went on the 10 AM trip. The scallop season had just started here so the parking the marina was pretty difficult so just make sure to allow yourself time to find a space especially this time of year, our guides, Tyler andFaith were excellent unfortunately this time of year there are only somewhere between 10 and 20 manatees in the spring as permanent residence so they did have a difficult finding manatees for us to see however, we did get to an experience and up close encounter with a adult and a baby manatee it made our kids day if I had any other recommendations, it would just be to do this tour during the winter time where manatees are more plentiful in area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christine_d
Jul 10, 2026
Seacow Safaris are the best - Seacow Safaris is a wonderful tour boat, highly recommended. Faith and Trever were wonderful guides. We had an amazing 45 minute experience with a manatee almost immediately. After swimming with the the sweetest, hungriest manatee ever we learned a lot more about the area and the ecological preservation efforts. Beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze and good company. Always a win, even in the off season.
We learned a lot and enjoyed every minute of the entire experience.
Review provided by Viator
Kevin_r
Jul 9, 2026
Awesome swim with the manatees excursion - The crews are excellent. We had 3 boats and all the crew were amazing. Soo much fun. Everyone was amazed with the manatees and getting to see them. We had kids from 6 to adults as old as 75 and we all had a blast. Travis was our captain and filled us in with all we needed to know about the river and about the manatees. Learned soo much and wished we just had more time because it seems to go so fast. Can’t say enough about the guides on all the boats with us. We swam some danced and sang and others just enjoyed the beautiful scenery and all the wildlife. Highly recommend them to anyone looking for a swim with the manatees excursion. Well worth the money and memories you can never forget. A big thanks to ALL the crews. Hope to return and do it again.
Review provided by Viator
Brianja7831ha
Jul 2, 2026
Experience of a lifetime - Wonderful experience! Captain Bill and Captain Tyler are really good genuine people. They were very accommodating and their specific knowledge and care of the river, manatee and springs made the experience better than I originally expected. The water was so clear and clean. We were on the boat for 2-3 min before they somehow spotted a manatee. I will only use Seacow safaris in the future
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jet507038
Jul 2, 2026
1 of a kind. - Capt. Bill and Capt. Tyler … were absolutely amazing. From the start (parking in the lot) everyone at the pier was welcoming and helpful directing us to the boat. On the boat for the safari they knew where to look and were so communicative and informative. Our little one did a report on Manatees and they were so engaging with her fun facts.
We were a party of 6 with 2 kids and they directed and coached the kids up perfectly so that they had the best possible experience. I can not recommend Seacow more. The photos, the info, the outcome. 10/10 will come back again. Thank you Capt. Bill & Tyler. (Also rev. On Google.)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
581imeldad
Jun 13, 2026
Great experience! - We booked a 7am trip so the chances of us seeing manatees would be better. And we were rewarded! We saw several manatees including a young one. Very nice to be swimming with these creatures! Friendly knowledgeble guides!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tara_t
Aug 14, 2026
Gigi and Savannah Snorkel trip - Matt and Meagan are great tour guides! My granddaughter and I were on a quest to snorkel with Manatee, we only found one and was a great experience! both were very knowledgeable about manatee and crystal river area and 3 sisters spring which we also snorkeled in.
Book your tour! they are great!
Review provided by Viator
