Saving Grace - A Journey : March 5, 2015

Ever since I read in a fellow RVer's and blogger's post about swimming with the Manatees in Crystal River, Florida, I have wanted to do the same. You can click HERE to see their blog entry. Since reading about their venture, it has been on my "bucket list." Since many of the items on my "B" list have gone by the wayside, I was determined to see that goal to fruition.

Thinking that waiting for the warmer weather would be a wise move, it turned out to backfire. I discovered that once the weather warms up, manatees swim back into the wide open gulf. They make their exodus after being couped up in the small bay in Crystal River all winter where the water stays at a constant 72 degrees.

I "Googled" tour companies and found River Ventures, booked my trip for the following day and was able to get into the 9 am class, which meant we needed to get on the road by 7 am. River Ventures had a very good Yelp and Trip Advisor rating and they surely lived up to their reputation.

After viewing a short video and getting fitted with a wetsuit the group was transported to the pier to meet our captain and board the boat. Through great instruction from "Captain Mike," I learned proper snorkeling technique and had no difficulty with the mask and snorkel tube. Fortunately for our group, we were able to follow the path of a small "herd" of three, a lone (male?) and a momma with her baby. I came quite close to the mom and baby, because I was able to hear the little "squeak" of the baby when my head was underwater.

The boat dropped anchor at least five times and we entered the water with each stop and snorkeled until we heard shouts from another boat that spotted the "herd." After the fourth trip, I finally got to touch the tail of one and had another swim directly underneath me. I wasn't scared, just so surprised that I was lucky enough to have had an encounter. This is definitely one of the best things I've ever done and can't wait to revisit Pete's Pier once more next winter.

I learned a lot about manatees. Although they are called "sea cows," they are more closely related to the elephant. They are an endangered species and are closely monitored. I learned that when swimming with manatees, you must never approach one. You must wait for it to come to you, only one hand is allowed to touch it, because two hands indicates "holding," You cannot swim after one, as that is considered "chasing." It is best to remain as quiet and still as possible and wait....Manatees have the personality of a cat; aloof, bored, disinterested, skittish, independent, yet curious. Their curiosity allows us the opportunity to view these one ton, to one-and a half ton beauties.

Interesting observations about our adventure:

We were on boat #13 and there were 13 people in our group. For those of you who know me well, you are aware of my aversion to the number 13!
Out of the 13, only four were from the US. The others were tourists from Norway, Finland and Sweden.
Not everyone got to have an "experience."
Besides the "Skipper," I was the oldest person on the boat.
People from Norway have no problem stripping down naked in front of other people.