The 'OG' Manatee Snorkel Tour
4.9
2,387 Ratings
Crystal River

Experience the ultimate underwater photography adventure with our Manatee Snorkel Tour. Dive into the world of manatees with our experienced crew and capture stunning HD photos. Book now!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 498 SE Kings Bay Dr - Dive into the ‘OG’ swim with manatee tour at River Ventures’ full-service, one-stop adventure shop. Join our 5-star crew load up on manatee facts while our photographer captures your adventure in HD. Meet and greet the most experienced Crew in town at River Ventures Tour Center. Learn about USFWS Manatee Encounter Rules and…
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What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • In-water Guide & Photographer
  • Tea and coffee
  • USCG Master Captain
  • Mask, Snorkel & Full-length Wetsuit
  • Introductory/instructional video offered in English, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Photo Package
  • Towel and swimsuit
Additional Information

Join River Venture’s 5-star crew and dive into the ‘OG’ swim with manatee experience with our HD photographer. Our full service, one-stop shop can guarantee manatees and more!
The ‘OG’ of Swim with Manatee:
Dive into the world of manatees with the largest and most experienced center in Crystal River and Homosassa – since 2004!
Manatee Guarantee…

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Location
River Ventures
Southeast Kings Bay Drive
River Ventures Manatee Tour and Education Center. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your tour time.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(2387 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Faraway55673079049
Oct 31, 2025
An Absolutely Unforgettable Manatee Encounter! - A huge shout-out and five stars to River Ventures for providing an absolutely incredible experience. We were fortunate enough to have Captain Mo and Guide Maleah lead our tour, and they were truly amazing from start to finish. Their dedication and genuine love for the manatees shone through the entire trip, and their vast knowledge made the experience educational and deeply rewarding. We were constantly positioned to enjoy up close and personal encounters with the manatees, making it the highlight of our vacation. If you are looking for a highly personalized and memorable manatee tour, I cannot recommend Captain Mo and Guide Maleah enough. Their professionalism and passion are unmatched. We can’t wait to come back and book with them again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T4448lylydiaa
Oct 31, 2025
Swimming with Manatees - We had an amazing experience on our manatee tour!! Sheila was our guide and Rob was our boat captain, they were awesome! We saw so many manatees, especially for this time of year! 10/10 would recommend!! 😄
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Navigator54078648663
Oct 25, 2025
Awesome Adventure - We had an awesome time. Tanner was the boat captain, and Steven was the in-water guide. We got to swim with the manatees. The water was a little cloudy. We were up and close. We do this adventure again.
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8900heathere
Oct 24, 2025
Highly recommend - Great tour with great guides! Crystal gave all kinds of fun facts on the short pontoon ride and was so friendly! Captain Mike was also great and extremely friendly. We got to sit in the water for an entire hour and watch fish jump and a manatee eat, nap and play!
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Rjason1275
Oct 21, 2025
Manatee surprise. - Wade and Sheila were awesome. They located the elusive October Manatee and ensured our group had a great viewing. Next time we come back to Florida we will definitely be doing this again. Five Stars.
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Purplehayz22
Oct 21, 2025
Amazing experience. - There was a group of 9 on our tour but it didn’t feel crowded or overwhelming. It was a great trip. Plenty of room on the boat. Sheila was amazing in ensuring we all got to see the beautiful sea creature we all came to see. Brian was a wealth of knowledge. They made it feel comfortable and it showed they really enjoyed what they did and wanted to share their world. It wasn’t just a job for them. I enjoyed how the other boat captains all worked together to create an experience for us all. Even different boat tours. It was wonderful to see. It wasn’t about competition it was about the experience. I highly recommend this. It’s still “off season” for the manatee since the water is still warm elsewhere so the sights are a little sparse this time of year but they are still there. We got to see one swimming in the water and one while on the boat but it was still an amazing experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D4494ymelizabethm
Oct 17, 2025
Best experience ever - This was the best experience . Our guides Crystal and Natalie and Captain Rob were so knowledgeable and hilarious and made the experience extra special! They helped out our kids to get back to the boat when they felt done too, which allowed us to stay longer in the experience. They gave us great instructions and helped direct us so we were able to spend a long time in the water with the manatees. They are also extremely respectful and pay attention to environmental and endangered animal protocols to make sure the manatees and their environment are safe and respected. I can't say enough good things!! This was something I've wanted to do my entire life, and Crystal, Natalie, Captain Rob and River Ventures made it even better than expected! We also spotted a dolphin and plenty of other wildlife. They even sang me happy birthday and gave me a cupcake and signed card with a small gift afterward. I hope to come back again someday!
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Escape51811452733
Oct 14, 2025
Best ever! - I can only give a 5 but would rate this as a 10. Captain Wade (Wadé) and James (Jimmy) are the best ever! James got in the water with us and didn't leave us to find manatees on our own. Having the guide in the water with us was fantastic. Those 2 went above and beyond for our family. Even got us parents to the fountain of youth! Great time for us and will forever use River Ventures, especially our captain and guide. Thank you both for the awesome afternoon and experience!
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Relax07441347866
Oct 7, 2025
amazing experience, would recommend everyone! - This was our 6th time doing a swim with manatees tour and once again it was an amazing experience. Tour guide James and Captain Wade were absolutely amazing. They make sure you have the best opportunity to swim with the manatees and they are just amazing at what they do. They really make sure that you but also the manatees have a great experience, since they are wild animals it’s amazing to see how caring they are towards them. They really do care a lot about the wildlife. Would recommend everyone booking with this company they are hands down the best in the area. We also saw a couple dolphins with a baby dolphin, which was a nice extra!
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Annika171184
Oct 6, 2025
Great excursion even in low season - We were out with Piper and Melissa today. The two of them put so much effort into the water that we can swim with the manatees somewhere in peace. Even if it is not the perfect time of year to see manatees, the two of them had their eyes on the water all the way through and gave us other k retrasarte information. As soon as a manatee was invisible, Piper looked out in the water and swam ahead. Melissa gave instructions from the boat on how best to swim. Everything seemed very professional and stress-free for the animals. Piper made sure everyone could see the manatee. Since the visibility was not good, she brought us closer by turns. We even drove a few minutes longer to be able to go into the water again. Absolutely recommended and a very nice trip.
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Check Availability
From $65
From $65
up to 10 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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