All you need to know about swimming with Manatees

Of the many things I wanted to check off of my bucket list in Florida, probably the most important to me was to swim with manatees. When I say "swim with manatees", I'm not talking about a wildlife encounter at an aquarium or a zoo where a trainer holds your hand while you feed an animal or fish. I wanted to swim with manatees in their natural habitat..

   The only places you can really do this legally is Crystal River (both the name of a river and town) and Homosassa Spring (a spring and community). Crystal River is the better place to see the manatees. There are more there. However, there are also more people and tour companies. The best time to see the most manatees is the winter. Manatees can die of hypothermia when water temps go below 68 degrees. Even though we consider Florida warm, the Gulf of Mexico does get chilly in the winter. The manatees come to Crystal River in huge numbers because of the warm water springs in the river. The springs pump out thousands of gallons of water a day that is seventy degrees.

There are a lot of of tour companies that go out to Crystal River to see the manatees. You could easily spend an afternoon googling them and reading reviews. I know, because I did. They all have a few things in common. If you go with a tour company, they will all make you watch a video of the dos and don'ts when you are in the water around manatees. I'm pretty sure this is a requirement by the National Wildlife Refuge. Secondly, you will most likely be required to wear a wet suit. The water is only 68-70 degrees and the wet suit does keep you warmer. Lastly, you will be snorkeling in a wet suit, but you most likely won't be wearing fins. Fins stir up sediment lowering visibility, so from what I can tell, most companies ban them.

The companies want you to stay on the surface so you don't stir up sediment. Staying on the surface will also keep you from bothering feeding and sleeping manatees on the bottom. Because of this, the companies give you a pool noodle to put under you to keep you buoyant. Personally , I thought the pool noodle was a pain in the ass but its a rule to use it. So you put the noddle under your arms and you doggy paddle from the boat to the manatees, Despite the slowness of doggy paddling, you're still going to see a bunch of manatees. I also could tell that some of the tourists could barely swim, never mind snorkel so the pool noodle is a real advantage to people not comfortable in the water.

Laurie watching a manatee pass by

There are roped off zones where you can't disturb manatees. I assume these zones are where springs are. It is really irrelevant, because there are plenty of manatees outside of the protected areas.  When the captain anchored the boat, we all got out and followed the in-water guide, Rosie, about 50 feet. We came up to a sleeping manatee.

   Before I go on, I have to say that I am usually the first one to be upset when people get to close to wildlife. I had a fit last year when people were practically petting the Snowy Owl. But, as long as people follow the rules about not harassing them, the manatees do quite well with people around. In fact, manatees like people. They will come right up to you and check you out. They will kiss your mask and even hug you. I saw one woman have a manatee put its face right into her mask for 20 seconds. That didn't happen to me, but I did have one manatee swim right under me  upside down, we looked each other in the eye. I was within inches of sleeping and feeding manatees, and they don't mind at all. It is a great experience.

There are ways you could see manatees for free, but honestly, this is one time where I feel it is worth the money to go with a group. For one thing, the wet suit helps keep you warm. The cost per person ranges from $60-100 depending on the length of the tour and the company you choose. You could get a private tour for a family that could run you four hundred dollars, but that is asinine. We went out on Captain Mikes. This is one of the bigger companies in Crystal River. There are also one of the cheapest. Cost was a factor in our decision. We took there 3 hour tour (okay, Gilligan) that cost $65. Because of the proximity to the manatees from the marina, we were in the water for over two hours of the three hour trip.  We saw over a dozen manatees close up and more while we were heading out.

One thing to keep in mind is that most of the boat companies go to the same areas. So, don't expect to be alone. There were three boats in the same small bay each with a dozen passengers. Luckily, there are enough manatees that the boats keep some distance from each other.

After our tour, we watched a slide show of pictures that Rosie took. They were very good. I splurged on the package. It cost $37 for about 180 photos and five short videos. Not every photo is a winner because they haven't edited out the bad ones, but none the less the real good shots were worth the money.

All in all, swimming with manatees was everything I hoped it would be. I wasn't a fan of the pool noodles but I understand their purpose. Looking back on the trip, the manatees was probably my favorite thing I did on a vacation where every day was a highlight. I seriously doubt it will be a once in a lifetime experience. It was incredible.

The photos below were taken by the guide. Three of the photos I took are below them

I took the three photos below

Things I am Thankful for- 2019

We interrupt the regularly scheduled posts about Florida to give you a blog post about things I am thankful for. We will resume our regularly scheduled programming about Florida birds, fish, and gators in a day or two.

Every year I write a post around Thanksgiving about all of the things I am thankful for in the outdoors. This post isn't about healthy family, a roof over my head, or things in everyday life. I am thankful for those things, but that isn't what www.southernnewenglandoutdoors.blogspot,com is about. As I have said, hopefully my blog will inspire someone to get outside and get some fresh air. Maybe I can share a tip or two. So a post about being thankful once a year seems appropriate. If I didn't have fish, mountains, and birds, I don't know if I would be able to enjoy life. But I love life, so without further adieu... 

1.   I am thankful that my adventurer son lives the life we wants to live. He travels from job to job across the country. When he isn't working we travels either home or abroad. He lives an amazing life. As his father, I couldn't be happier for him.

1a.    I am thankful for my two best friends. I have dragged Laurie on so many bird chases this year, she probably should have stopped coming over. I am thankful that Dave hasn't disowned me because of how little I have fished this year. I never thought a year chasing birds would take so much time away from fishing. But Dave still calls and tells me how the fishing is and checks in on me. I thank both of you.

2.    I am thankful I got to have such great experiences in South Florida. Every day was a bucket list item. We did so many things. While I was there each day was a different chapter of an amazing story. One minute I think Key West was my favorite thing we did. Then I remember how swimming with manatees was so humbling. And I realize I snorkeled six times and whether we aid a boat to take us to the coral reef or we swam at the rocks at Fort Zachary Taylor, it was all  amazing 

3.    I am thankful for whale watch trips. I went on three this year. Two of them were to find pelagic birds. Think of how lucky we are to live near the ocean and to see those incredible animals. I know I will go on multiple whale watch trips next year. I l already have the money budgeted.

4.   I am thankful for the Ocean State Bird Club and Narragansett Surfcasters. Since I now work on Tuesday evenings, it is almost impossible to get to club meetings for my fishing club. But I have made a good friend there. I enjoy the company of the other guys every time I get to see them.

   Through the Ocean State Bird Club and just seeing the same birders all the time, I have made some good friends. I am part of a family. There are millions of people that "bird watch", but there is a dedicated group of hardcore birders that are out there every Saturday. If a rarity is spotted, we all share info, but it is the same ten or so people that will rush to see it, they are great people.

5.   I only got to New Hampshire once this year (blame the birds in Rhode Island). Still, I am glad it is only three hours away from my house if I need to get away. Hopefully I will see more of it next year. 

6.   I am thankful that Jan took me under her wing right from the beginning of the year and helped me get birds. When she was privy to a rare bird that I was not she would tell me where it was. Even after I got in the group text, she still made sure I chased birds. Even when I was in Florida she was pushing me to chase the Antillean Palm Swift, a bird that has only been documented in North America twice. I think we have become pretty good friends.

7.    I am a person who cares more about experiences than I am about things. That said, I am thankful for my 500 mm camera lens, because of it I have had some amazing experiences photographing amazing wildlife. I couldn't live without it.

8.   I am thankful for May and September. I love the spring migration when the trees are full of colorful birds. Of course I love September for albies. I only caught three this year, but each one was awesome.

9.I am grateful for the mudflats behind Charlestown Breachway. Most of my memories this summer came from there.

10.  I am thankful for the one great day I had at the Canal. I caught a couple 30 pounders and a few other keepers.

11. I am thankful for our national parks and our protected land. I hope it forever stays protected for others to enjoy as I have.  

Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

 Everglades National Park has three visitor centers. None of them are near each other. Also, you have to leave the park to got from one to either of the other two. The Visitor Center along Route 41, The Tamiami Trail is named Shark Valley. Laurie and I spent a few glorious hours exploring the Everglades from Shark Valley.

Before I go on, I don't know why the area is called Shark Valley. The parking lot and Visitor Center is smack dab in the middle of a sawgrass prairie so there sure as hell aren't any sharks. Since Florida is basically sea level, there isn't a valley either. I have not looked up why it has that name yet, but is seems misnamed to me.

Moving on, there is a fifteen mile paved loop road that leaves the Visitor Center and heads into the Everglades. The fifteen mile loop has an observation tower at the midpoint. The view of the glades is pretty extensive. On the road you are sure to see many alligators and wading birds.

The beauty of this road s that it is car free. There only three ways to travel on this road. You could walk any or all of the fifteen miles, you could take the two hour tram tour ($27/ adult) or you can ride a bike. There is also the standard National Park entrance fee of $30 which is good for a week.

As we drove by on the Tamiami Trail I pulled over to think about it. Bike riding this loop was something I wanted to do but he hadn't made plans to do it. The bike rental is $9/hour. Compare that to the tourist trap Key West where we had all day bike rentals for twelve buck each, I thought nine dollars an hour was ridiculous. The more I thought about it, the more I realized this was my only shot to see the Everglades on this trip so we went in.

I paid my thirty dollar admission fee, Then we rented bikes. I knew that I would stop at every bird and every gator, so even though we could probably do the whole bike ride in under two hours, it was probably going to take three hours. We picked out the bikes and off we went to explore the Everglades.

We did spend three hours on the road. We ended up seeing about twenty alligators. I saw Wood Storks at three places on our trip, but this was the only place I could get a photo of one. I loved our three hours in the 'glades. Including our thirty dollar entrance fee the bike ride cost us $84. That will hopefully be the most expensive bike ride of my life. That said, if I didn't go for the ride, I'd be regretting it for a long time. The wildlife was incredible.  Photos below

Great Blue Heron

Anhinga

The first gator we saw on our bikes

This was the second gator we saw. He was along the edge of the
road

Fairly certain these are
Red Shouldered Hawks

I get that the Everglades is a sea of grass, but it is wet,
so I was pleasantly surprised to see this Meadowlark pop
up

I so wish the grass wasn't in the way in this photo

White Ibis

There was an active alligator nest very close to the
parking area

Wood Stork

The observation tower is the
halfway point. There are restrooms and a bubbler
but the water sucks

The road through the swamp

Miles of sawgrass just past those trees.

Florida Wildlife without Feathers

   I had multiple goals for this trip. Florida has/had more things on my bucket list than any other place on Earth. It was torture counting down the days over the last month. Many of the things on my list were easy. Some examples were getting a Key Lime Pie while in Key West and ordering a drink in a bar that Hemingway drank at. Others required a little more time commitment and out of pocket expense such as snorkeling at the coral reef.

   But if you know me, then you know many of the things on my bucket list are nature related. I wanted to go birding at two of the most famous birding spots in the world ( Ding Darling NWR and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary)

   Three of the things on my list didn't involve birds. I wanted to see and photograph an alligator and I wanted to see and photograph a Key Deer. I also wanted to see and photograph an American Crocodile. I have seen gators before and lost photos of them from my childhood. But I wanted to get some decent shots. I knew I'd see the gators. They are as easy in Florida as Bison are in the Badlands. The Key Deer would require some luck and time that I really didn't have. More on them below. As for the croc, I knew there was really no chance, but it was on my list and I was going to try. More on that below also.

   I saw other wildlife in my travels and thought it would be a good idea to put all of my non-feathered friends in one group. 

  As expected, I saw gators n multiple places. I am sure you will see them in multiple blog posts

Big Alligator in the Everglades

Baby Gator near the Shark Valley Visitor Center

 Key Deer are the smallest subspecies of White Tailed Deer in the United States. They are an Endangered Species. The population ranges from 600-1000. Hurricanes can wipe out large portions of their population. Right now the population is about 700. Their main enemy is cars. They have absolutely no fear of cars or people. Collisions are the main reason their numbers have not rebounded despite years of protection. Most of the Key Deer live on Big Pine Key. A few other smaller islands not connected to the Overseas Highway have small populations.

On our way to Key West we went looking for them. We drove down Key Deer Blvd. (I'm not making that up). We took a couple of short trails recommended by the Wildlife Refuge staff. We didn't have any luck. While on our way back to the Overseas Highway I spotted one eating on the side of the road. We pulled over and got a few pics. Being roadside we didn't want to spook it so we gave it some distance.

We moved up the road. We saw another one in a lawn of a church. This one was no where near the road. I took pictures edging closer to it. It never stopped eating. I know the pictures below look like the deer is jittery, trust me it was not. It lifted its head one time and I snapped one picture. I kept getting closer and it just kept eating. I was within 15 feet when I gave up. I knew I was too close to an Endangered Species. I backed off and went back to the car. I'm pretty sure I could have pet it if I tried. I understand now, that they really have no fear of humans and that is probably a bad thing.

Three photos below of Key Deer

    American Crocodiles are another Endangered species in south Florida. Unilke American Alligators, they are shy and stay far away from people. They are not like the famous man-eating crocs of the Nile. Seeing one is almost impossible. There are only about 2000 in South Florida. That includes the Everglades, Florida Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico.

None the less we gave it the old college try. There is a Crocodile National Wildlife Refuge on Key Largo. However it is closed to the public so nesting crocs aren't disturbed. We drove up the road that is the perimeter of the refuge, but it was all forest edge and we couldn't look in.

Then we drove down Card Sound Road. This is one of only two roads connecting the Keys to the rest of Florida (Route 1 being the other). As we were crossing a bridge, I saw a manatee swimming down river. We pulled over and looked for it. We saw it on the other side of the bridge. To my amazement we saw a crocodile sliding down the bridge embankment. If I'd have seen it first I'd have gotten killer shots.

Instead, I got one photo. There are many differences from alligators and crocodiles. I learned them before we went down. They have different shaped snouts, and the teeth that are visible with their moths closed are different. One obvious difference is color. Gators are black or dark grey. Crocodiles are greenish. That is tough to tell if the light is bad or if they are covered in mud. Luckily I had good light. You can see this guy is greenish with black checkers on the tail. I Googled American Crocodile, and they have the checkers on Google Images. Besides the Antillian Palm Swift (more on that later) this crocodile was the best thing I saw in Florida. Cropped image on top, original below.

Laurie mentioned she wanted to see an Armadillo, I realized that the state park we were staying at between the Everglades and Corkscrew was a sandy soil so we went hiking and looking for them. We really didn't expect to see one, but sure enough, one came walking down the path until it heard us.

Thanks to a tip from a birder at Corkscrew Swamp I got to see this raccoon that was feeding on berries in a Palm Tree

I didn't see any sharks snorkeling. However I did see this 8 foot Nurse Shark at the marina of our motel.

The snails below are Apple Snails, they are the main food in a Limpkin's diet. Corkscrew Swamp

 There will be a full post about where and how to swim with Manatee. Until then, here is the best photo I took of one

This Peninsular Ribbon Snake was sunning itself right next to the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp

Thanks to the sandy soil at Koreshan State Park, not only did we see the Armadillo we saw this Gopher Tortoise. He was on a mission. Being in front of him taking pictures did not slow him down. He knew right where some taller greener grass was and I had to get out of its way 

Below is a Green Anole. They are native

A Cuban Brown Anole was next to it. They are invasive and taking over

John Pennekamp State Park

An entrance sign and our rental car. A brand new
Toyota Camry

John Pennekamp State Park is one of the crown jewels in the Florida State Park system. This isn't your typical park with a campground and a few hiking trails. This park has two beaches, terrific snorkeling, and kayak rentals. The park also runs snorkeling trips to the coral reef and glass bottom boat tours. The park is not far from the mainland. It is at Mile Marker 102.5 on the Overseas Highway in Key Largo.

The cost to get into the park is $8 a vehicle. To spend a night at the campground I think it is $38. That is the most I've ever paid for a state campground, but then again I had never went to a Florida State Park on the beach with access to a coral reef.  We stayed there the first three nights of our vacation

The park has two beaches. The best is Canon Beach. About 70 yards out is a replica Spanish Galleon. You can snorkel out to it. There is a large variety of fish. The most common by far, are Yellowtail Snappers. I saw two species of Parrot fish. They were Rainbow and Blue. I also saw an orange fish that looks like a Clownfish. However, Clownfish do not live around  Florida, so I will have to research it.

The campground is on a lagoon. Because of this fact, it must be loaded with mosquitoes in the summer. Even in the second week of November there were tiny little biting flies (possibly sand fleas). The bites hurt me, but the pain was gone in a minute and they did not leave welts like a mosquito bite does. Laurie, on the other hand, reacted much differently. She had dozens of welts on her legs. They were itchy, and she ended up rubbing on anti-itch medicine.

Despite the bugs, the campground sells out fast. If you want a site, you have to reserve it 11 months in advance. So, yes, I reserved my campsite last December 11. I didn't see any empty spaces in it while we were there.. Our campsite was the last one on the lagoon side of the road. Our tent was set up within fifteen feet of the tidal swamp. I can't say if the other sites had as much wildlife as ours did, but every time we pulled in we saw something new. We had two species of warbler (Palm and Black and White), three wading birds, White Ibis, Green Heron, and a juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron that was there so often we named it Phil

Photos below of the wildlife we had in our campsite. Then after that snorkeling info

Green Heron

Palm Warbler

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

Iguana

Close up. Yes he was in the campsite. He was closer to
my tent than I was while taking this photo

White Ibis

You can snorkel at Canon Beach and have a great time at the Spanish Galleon. I snorkeled there twice about an hour and a half each time. I don't have any pics of my experience. The water was dingy from the waves and my underwater picture taking was terrible anyway. Still, you don't have to shell out money to see some pretty cool fish. As I said above, there were tons of Yellowtail Snaper but also cool Parrotfish.

Of my many bucket list goals in Florida, one I was really looking forward to was snorkeling at the coral reef. John Pennekamp has multiple tours a day that take you out to the reef. The cost is $30 a person. They also offer scuba tours (and kayak and motor boat rentals). Our particular tour went to an area of the reef called Grecian Rocks. There was a large variety of fish. Since we fanned out, everyone's experience was a little different. I saw multiple Parrotfish, a huge school of Blue Tangs. Sargent Majors and Angelfish. I saw a yellow-black-yellow fish called a Rock Beauty.

 The very first fish I saw was a Barracuda. It was roughly 3 feet long. I know how fearsome they look, but they are harmless to people. I saw multiple barracuda in the 3-4 feet range. As  was rounding a corner  I saw two exceptional specimens that were easily six feet. I know they were longer than I was. Not only were they longer than the other barracuda, but they had girth also. They were awesome. The pictures below are of those fish. They were  the highlight of my snorkel trip.

On the way back to shore Captain Katie (more on her below) spotted some Bottled Nosed Dolphin. She swung the boat around to get them to play in the wake but they were not in the mood. We did get very nice looks at them anyway.

 I would be remiss, if I didn't mention the crew. The Captain was a young woman named Katie who couldn't have been twenty five years old. The mate, named Natalie was even younger. They were both well trained and did a great job handling the boat and the fifty or so passengers on board. I would specifically ask for that crew again if I had the option.

Below the barracuda pictures, more stuff about the park

Barracuda showing me that his teeth are
bigger than mine

Huge school of Blue Tang

You don't need to go off to the reef to enjoy the park (although I recommend it). There are a couple short hiking trails, two beaches, and an aquarium in the Visitor Center. If you want to see the reef but can't swim they have Glass Bottom Boat rides. But my advice is to get in the water if at all possible. 

Far Beach at sunrise

A canon at Canon Beach

The Journey was the boat we took out to the reef to snorkel

The beach was not sandy. It was made up of hard packed stone
with a layer of dead coral over it. Water shoes are a good idea.
The white buoys out there is where the shipwreck is

Seems self explanatory, you're not an idiot

https://pennekamppark.com/