swimming with manatees

[MsRuthieB]

Hi! We are going to be on holiday the first week of July. The girls were looking forward to swimming with the dolphins but that's just too expensive. I'd like to find a place within one hour's drive or so from the Highland Reserve community where we can swim with the manatees. Any suggestions? Thank you so much~Ruthie

[honeybee]

We spent a few days down the florida keys and the manatees were coming up to the children and playing with them all day. There was the mother with its calf and then anotehr joined in. One child got on its back and it let him.

Down the keys it is a lot cheaper and you also learn about ther habits etc.

[MsRuthieB]

Thanks Honeybee. I wonder how long it takes to drive to the Keys from Orlando? Anyone know?

[KingKong]

My wife and i had the same experience.

We drove from Orlando to Key Largo this took say 5 hours.An over night stay in a cheap hotel makes sense then you are not rushing and have more fun time before you drive back to yer villa.

Apparantly the Keys have Sea Wardens and there is a HUGE fine for feeding or stroking the manatees.The reason being the are getting overly tame and speed boats are flattening them with there motors as they go searching for food .

The manatees let you swim with them for hours the ones we swam with EVERYONE was stroking em, they are fantastic to see.

Magnificant creatures and 100 times better than going to a Dolphin centre(zoo) for an overpriced 15 minute tour.

You deffo wanna watch the warden thing tho as where we swam there was signs saying no touching or feeding manatees.Fines running into thousands of dollars we was told.

[8D]

[Carla]

It's definitely not a day trip Ruthie. You'll need to allow approx. 4 hours to get down to Miami and then at least another 1 hour to get to the first of the Keys.

However you might find that July is not such a good time to be going there. It's low season on the Keys because of the heat. We found it exhausting in the Summer.

[janny]

http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/ask00/0242.html
http://www.floridaconservation.org/p...atee/guide.htm
http://www.swimwithamanatee.com/activities.htm

One site will tel you why you shouldn't swim with them and there is a web site that might help you find what you want

[KingKong]

We also split the drive time up by swerving the jeep into the Florida Everglades on the way down so you can see the gators and have a ride on a mad airboat.

This is not very expensive and is another plus for that long drive.

Hey janny them links you provided are exellent.

[esprit]

July isnt a good time for manatees at all. They are out at sea most of the time. They over winter inland in places like the Crystal River and then head out into deep water mid Summer. I would not travel all the way to the Keys just in the hope of seeing them at that time of the year.

[Carla]

quote:Originally posted by KingKong

My wife and i had the same experience.

We drove from Orlando to Key Largo this took say 5 hours.An over night stay in a cheap hotel makes sense then you are not rushing and have more fun time before you drive back to yer villa.

Apparantly the Keys have Sea Wardens and there is a HUGE fine for feeding or stroking the manatees.The reason being the are getting overly tame and speed boats are flattening them with there motors as they go searching for food .

The manatees let you swim with them for hours the ones we swam with EVERYONE was stroking em, they are fantastic to see.

Magnificant creatures and 100 times better than going to a Dolphin centre(zoo) for an overpriced 15 minute tour.

You deffo wanna watch the warden thing tho as where we swam there was signs saying no touching or feeding manatees.Fines running into thousands of dollars we was told.

[8D]

Why do you do something if you know that it is wrong and harmful to the creatures? Surely you can just watch and admire them without having to spoil everything for them? We don't have the right to endanger these creatures further, just for our own gratification.

There is also a $5000 fine for feeding alligators in the wild, but tourists still do that as well. Such a shame that these thoughtless tourists don't get in and swim with the alligators!!!

[KingKong]

[/quote]

Why do you do something if you know that it is wrong and harmful to the creatures? Surely you can just watch and admire them without having to spoil everything for them? We don't have the right to endanger these creatures further, just for our own gratification.

There is also a $5000 fine for feeding alligators in the wild, but tourists still do that as well. Such a shame that these thoughtless tourists don't get in and swim with the alligators!!!
[/quote]

???
[?]
My 1st day in Key Largo i went for a dip with wifey and at that time we had not expected to meet a Manatee or anything in the shallow 6ft deep part of the sea.

5 minutes after being in the sea a Manatee swam up to say hello and we (me and wifey)was in seventh heaven.We bobbed above the water and grabbed a mask off a sunbather to have a better peep.It would take the most perfect and controlled of all swimmer to not reach out and give big manatee a tickle.

After we came out of the sea(about 1hour later)we was informed by clued up locals about the rules and pointed towards the signs(small signs).

So get off your high horse please.

Maybe if on entry to Florida with your passport stamp at the airport a do and dont guide towards wildlife was included we would have been better informed.

As it was the thrill of just being in close proximity with these magnificant creatures whether gently touching or not would still have had the same "WOW" factor.