Manatee Snorkeling Tour: Small Group Experience

Experience a small group snorkeling tour with the West Indian Manatees in Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Swim with the manatees, learn about their habitat, and take home high-definition photos and videos of your adventure.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 226 NE 5th St - Upon arrival at the dive shop, guests will be fitted for wetsuits (included in price) and asked to watch a brief video from US Fish and Wildlife outlining their encounter with the manatees. The captain and guide will then take the group to the boat and embark all passengers and give a short safety brief. Once underway, the guide…
What's Included
  • Professional guide
  • Wetsuits
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • Coffee and hot cocoa
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Experience a snug, intimate interaction with the West Indian Manatee as you swim alongside them under the oversight of a U.S. Coast Guard Certified Captain. Our intimate group expeditions (limited to six attendees) are offered daily in the breathtaking Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Familiarize yourself with these remarkable creatures and gain…

Location
226 NE 5th St
Northeast 5th Street
Please arrive no earlier than your scheduled tour time. Our captains and guides are busy between trips with the previous tour and readying your boat and our shop for your trip. If you arrive early, you are likely to be waiting for our other guests to get changed and review their photos.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(1274 Ratings)
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Jessica_f
Aug 14, 2025
Marking off the bucklist - Amazing time lots of with great experiences. Rob knows what he is doing and his partner took amazing pictures to help us capture these once in a lifetime memories
Review provided by Viator
Sylvia_b
Aug 11, 2025
Captain Ron and his first... - Captain Ron and his first mate, Malayana were wonderful. It was a fantastic day & amazing experience!!! I will definitely book with them again. I highly recommend, i promise, you won’t be sorry!
Review provided by Viator
Joy_c
Aug 3, 2025
Manatees at Crystal River. - Our guides were knowledgeable and patient our inexperienced snorkling members. They took us immediately to a known manatee grazing location. We were able to observe a few grown manatee. But the real star of the show was a manatee calf. We then traveled by boat to snorkle the Three Sisters Spring.
Review provided by Viator
Jordan_d
Aug 2, 2025
HIGHLY recommend! - I CAN NOT recommend these people enough! My husband & I came during the off season for Manatees & still got to play with a baby! They are the nicest people & love what they do. They are so knowledgeable & make you feel so comfortable.
Review provided by Viator
Mapete
Jul 31, 2025
An extraordinary experience in nature! - We started at 6:30 in the morning. Our guide was honest from the beginning and didn't promise us anything DA it wasn't Manatee peak season. Nevertheless, we were able to snorkel with Manatees - a very nice experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ashley_p
Jul 31, 2025
Amazing Experience with Gulf Coast Expeditions - Our guides were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. We were lucky enough to swim with a mother and her calf, and they were great at directing us on where we needed to swim to get the best experience. We also got to explore Three Sisters Springs which was absolutely beautiful. We got to enjoy everything while our guide took care of the pictures, and she was able to snap some really great shots. We had a wonderful time and would highly recommend Gulf Coast Expeditions!
Review provided by Viator
Nicole_g
Jul 16, 2025
Amazing Experience! - Amazing Experience! Saw several manatees! Was mine and my 5yr old son’s favorite activity of our trip to crystal river!
Review provided by Viator
Siddhant_m
Jul 8, 2025
Go go go - I absolutely loved the experience and so did my cousins. We went with very high expectations already and they didn’t only meet them but also exceeded them. Malayna was an absolute best guide we could have gotten. I’d leave more than 5 stars if that was an option.
Review provided by Viator
Thedab2020
Jun 29, 2025
Fantastic experience - We had booked a trip in June 2025. We had explored many options and read many reviews. All the reviews we could find about Gulf Coast Expeditions were very positive. However, we were somewhat wondering where the company was, a bit away from the harbor in a residential area. But we were taken very well, received good guidance, wet suit delivered and could dress in small cabins and then we drove for the assistant to the harbor. On the cruise, Captain Ron and his assistant quickly found the sea islands and she swam with us so we could always find her and knew that she was on the sea islands. When they moved, Captain Ron quickly found them again or others. We saw several sea wolves and also a mother with her young. Captain Ron has good connections in the area, he knew that there had to be put a seawater in the water that had been for treatment. It was an experience to see it being released. Then we sailed up and saw the floating clear water in Crystal River. When we returned to the company, we had the opportunity to buy photos and videos from the trip, at a really reasonable price, where you do not feel cheated. We had a fantastic trip and will not hesitate to recommend Gulf Coast Expeditions and especially Captain Ron and his sweet assistant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elisabeth_b
Jun 21, 2025
Manatees - Great experience getting up close to the manatees! Our captain was able to locate the manatees with a drone. Go early in the morning so you can see them! Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Viator
From $79
up to 6 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).