Manatees

Wow! Today I swam with Wild Manatees in Crystal River Florida. It was beyond incredible. To be able to swim so close to these giant wild herbivores is beyond a blessing. I couldn't help myself from falling in love with these curious, friendly, slow moving "gentle giants"

 I returned from swimming with Manatees with a clear understanding and passion to protect them!

Sabrina & I arrived not so fresh faced at 6 am this morning sipping our McDonald drive thru coffees in our sweatpants...

After some safety briefings and a quick video we squeezed into our wetsuits and climbed onto the charter. At this point it was still completely dark outside thanks to daylight savings that kicked in yesterday. You could see the steam rising from the water... the water was actually warmer than the air so we never wanted to get out. That was surreal in itself.

Upfront and personal with a Mother and Baby Manatee 

Once we spotted our first Manatee we didn't think about how sleep deprived we were or about what to do tonight.We just watched. Our minds were blown. We lived in that moment. Every single person in the water didn't want to be anywhere but right there in Crystal River Florida watching these wild animals in their natural habitat.

Sabrina calmly watching 

Feeding time!

The water was so clear! It was amazing, made capturing these moments a piece of cake.

This has been a huge highlight of my trip. $45 for 3 hours? Including wet suit hire, fins, snorkels a tour guide.. no wonder the company has a 5 star rating on YELP and over 850 positive references! 

riverventures.com Check out the website I went through. It's a must if you are visiting Florida. 

We have such enthusiasm, love and respect for these gentle creatures!