After
swimming at the Homosassa River for two days, we were scheduled
to move about 15 minutes away to the Crystal River where
manatees often wintered-over. There we met up with Bill
and Diana Oestreich of Bird's
Underwater who were going to be out guides for the next
couple of days.
It was easy to see, right from the beginning, that Bill
("Bird") and Diana had a special place in their
hearts for the manatee - and that they were truly experts
in manatee encounters - as well as advanced SCUBA instructors.
Bill piloted us to several springs on Crystal River, giving
us pointers on how to interact with the manatees. These
tips included minimizing splashing and bubble noise, slow
movements, waiting for the animal to initiate the contact,
and made sure we were clear on all regulations and laws
associated with the protection of the manatee.
We found a friendly
manatee at one popular sanctuary area, back in one of the
canals around Crystal River. It was thrilling to see the
light grey animal swim up to the boat and start "flossing"
on a frayed rope left hanging over the side of the boat.
Things changed, however, when another boat entered the area,
and the manatee decided he didn't want to stick around any
longer, leaving us to return to his protected sanctuary
area.
The rest of the day finding manatees proved
challenging as almost all of them had left during the warmer-than-normal
weather to feed in deeper water. We witnessed several other
tour operators in the area, and it seemed like any manatee
that was spotted in open water would quickly be descended
upon. We also witnessed several people chasing manatees
and disturbing resting manatees intentionally.
Because of the documentary being filmed, we had an official
from US Fish and Wildlife onboard our boat that day, and
he quickly dealt with those few people who were harassing
the animals. Unfortunately, they have to do this on a regular
basis - which is why there is a strong effort to educate
people about proper manatee-manners by the people who want
to help protect them.
Because of the moderate number of people in the water, and
the low number of manatees available, I decided to sit-out
a few swims as I thought the encounter would not be all
that enjoyable for myself or the manatee. Those few who
swam out from our boat reported happy and engaging encounters
with young manatees who wanted to play.
Crystal River
features several Manatee Sanctuary areas which give the
manatees a place to retreat from the boats and people when
they want to rest or feed. You cannot enter these sanctuary
areas under any circumstance. The newest sanctuary is at
Three Sisters Springs. It was established in November 1997.
Access to the three springs for swimmers is still provided
and I recommend you snorkel back to the springs and enjoy
the "lagoon-like" atmosphere.
Another great spot
is the Main Spring - a cavernous opening to about 50 foot
deep - for experienced SCUBA divers only. It is a rewarding
dive, as the cavern has crystal clear spring water continuously
flowing into it, quickly removing any sediment which may
be kicked up. Take your lights, as the back of the cavern
is dark - but don't forget to turn around and check-out
the beautiful blue-green column of light penetrating through
the opening.
We found a friendly
manatee at one popular sanctuary area, back in one of the
canals around Crystal River. It was thrilling to see the
light grey animal swim up to the boat and start "flossing"
on a frayed rope left hanging over the side of the boat.
The rest of the day finding manatees proved
challenging as almost all of them had left during the warmer-than-normal
weather to feed in deeper water. We witnessed several other
tour operators in the area, and it seemed like any manatee
that was spotted in open water would quickly be descended
upon. We also witnessed several people chasing manatees
and disturbing resting manatees intentionally.
Crystal River
features several Manatee Sanctuary areas which give the
manatees a place to retreat from the boats and people when
they want to rest or feed. You cannot enter these sanctuary
areas under any circumstance. The newest sanctuary is at
Three Sisters Springs. It was established in November 1997.
Access to the three springs for swimmers is still provided
and I recommend you snorkel back to the springs and enjoy
the "lagoon-like" atmosphere. 
Another great spot
is the Main Spring - a cavernous opening to about 50 foot
deep - for experienced SCUBA divers only. It is a rewarding
dive, as the cavern has crystal clear spring water continuously
flowing into it, quickly removing any sediment which may
be kicked up. Take your lights, as the back of the cavern
is dark - but don't forget to turn around and check-out
the beautiful blue-green column of light penetrating through
the opening.
