Wildlife experiences are totally my cup of tea. I've swam with dolphins and black-tip sharks and with gigantic grouper that could have swallowed my head. I've made friends with sea lions and lemurs, wallabies and sea turtles. It's one of my dreams to be in the water with whale sharks, to pet a penguin and visit a big cat sanctuary. So when the opportunity came to visit the Plantation on Crystal River and swim with Florida's signature mammal -- the manatee -- at Three Sisters Springs, I couldn't resist.
Crystal River is located about an hour and a half northwest of Orlando on Interstate 75. It's a perfect daytrip for travelers to the theme parks, who want to see a little "real Florida" while they're in the Sunshine State. Taking it a step further, making a manatee swim and a stay at the Plantation on Crystal River -- a 196-room, 12-villa property off Kings Bay -- the highlight of their trip is even better.
When it gets chilly in Florida, from late November through the end of February, the warm-blooded manatees make their way from the bay to the springs, where the water is always a comfortable 72 degrees. Manatees are enormous creatures, and on first glance they look obese, but in reality they have very little body fat, so they get cold easily. They hang out in the springs until the open waters of the bay and Gulf of Mexico warm, then they exit the springs to feed, mate and engage in other manatee activities. Crystal River is the only place in the world where snorkelers can swim and interact with the West Indian manatee in the wild.
The Plantation on Crystal River offers the manatee swim during the winter months as part of a package, which starts at $149 per person, double occupancy, and includes one night accommodations, breakfast, manatee tour with all equipment (snorkel gear and wetsuit) and a special gift bag. The excursion is conducted just steps from the lobby, at the Plantation Adventure Center, so if you, as we did, wake up at 6:47 a.m. when your tour starts at 7, you can still make it on time.
Our group of 14 snorkelers shimmied into our wetsuits, and our captain, Mike, and guide, Dustin, took us to the mouth of Three Sisters Springs. I was anticipating frigid water, but with morning air temperatures in the mid-50s, the 72-degree spring water was quite pleasant. Dustin guided us to the mouth of the spring, and within seconds of entering the water, we spotted several of the gentle giants resting on the bottom of the river.
There are, of course, laws and guidelines for interacting with these animals. Florida's Fish & Wildlife department ropes off "manatee resting zones," so swimmers aren't allowed to go beyond the ropes. This doesn't mean the manatees care about the ropes -- they'll plop down wherever they please. It's OK to touch a manatee that swims near you but approaching them for a pet is not. We were instructed not to swim over a manatee, but plenty of them swam under us. Basically it boils down to this: It's their spring. We're just swimming in it.
I was bummed that I'd forgotten the special plastic case I use for taking pictures with my phone underwater, but the Plantation Adventure Center takes care of the snaps for you. Dustin carried a GoPro camera with him and not only guided us to where the manatees were but beckoned when he saw one approaching so we wouldn't miss it and took each one of us aside to take pictures of us snorkeling near the animals. At one point, he saw two manatees coming through the mouth of the spring and pulled me to the area where they were headed. I stayed perfectly still, and the manatees each swam directly below me, brushing my belly with their mass. It was absolutely thrilling, and I have pictures to prove it. At the end of the tour, we purchased the manatee-shaped USB drive with 100 crystal-clear pictures and video footage for $40.
If guests prefer to stay dry, the Plantation Adventure Center also leads manatee kayak tours, or guests can stay on the boat and observe from there, sipping on the complimentary coffee or hot chocolate. We saw other wildlife on our swim, as well. Several turtles swam beneath us, as well as large mullets and tarpon fish. On our way out of the spring, a beautiful, large, yellow-crowned night heron perched near the No Wake sign.
The Plantation on Crystal River is more than just a hub for manatee swims, which is a good thing, since this opportunity is only available a few months out of the year. The property also features a golf course with country club, pool and brand-new kids play area and splash pad to open this spring, a tiki bar and particularly excellent restaurant (the Sunday brunch buffet is spectacular and a steal at $25 per person; reservations are recommended). There also are sunset and nature cruises on pontoon boats, fishing and diving excursions, scalloping in the summer months and a full-service Aveda spa.
The buildings and fixtures are showing their age a bit, but the rooms are charming and comfortable, and many of them lead directly out to the river, so a game of horseshoes or croquet, or a giant cup of Plantation Punch from the tiki bar are just a few steps away. With rates starting at $120 per night, there's no better way to have an authentic animal interaction that's exclusive to Florida.