Unforgettable Manatee Swim: Small Group Tour + Photos!

Very friendly, and amazing. Saw a lot of manatees, they supplied all the gear needed to do it. All I had to bring was a swim suit, a change of clothes, a towel, and of course a ready to have fun attitude.

Exhilarating morning viewing manatees in their natural setting sanctuary. Walter and Krystina made our experience extra special with their local knowledge of the area and marine life, guiding us the entire time. I lost count of how many manatees floated under, alongside and in front of me! .. .. we received photos of our snorkeling adventure later the same day to remember this unforgettable experience! ….highly recommend this small local tour company!

Absolutely amazing! A must do and an experience I will never forget. I picked this place because of the small group size of 6 people, the free photos/videos, and also for the fact that you are already at the marina, no time is wasted taking a shuttle from a store - you are ready to go out on the water immediately. Walter and Krystina were our captain and in water guide! I can't say enough about them. They made the trip amazing, very chill, informative, happy and fun!!!!! We did the 7am tour - 100% worth waking up early to do so. We were the second boat out there, it was quiet and still somewhat of a high tide. The days leading up to that morning were chilly, in the low 50's. There had to be atleast 50-75 manatees out there, probably more. The water was cold and murky, it was not deep, we could stand - all expected. You could not see the manatees from the surface, only when they got up real close to you, and they did, face to face. You can not touch them, but they can come up to you. You float with a noodle, and make sure to keep your legs up, so the manatees can swim under you. We used a full face mask snorkel rather than a 2 piece - mouth and eye mask - they have both. Total experience time roughly 1 hr 45min - 2hrs. Parking fee $10. Gift shop and restrooms on premises - not sure of hours. We arrived with our swimsuit or shorts/tank already on, flip flops, and water shoes. We had a bag with a towel and a warm set of clothes that we put over our wet clothes once the wetsuit was off. And btw, they were perfect with picking out our wetsuit sizes! You certainly can change fully out of your bathsuit or wet clothes on the boat, it is an area with a curtain in the back. Sit back, relax and float in the water. Hot chocolate and coffee for the ride back. Walter and Krystina - the best crew, they made our day one we will never forget! Thanks so much!

It was an amazing experience that I will always remember fondly😀. We saw lots of manatees and little baby manatees. Both the captain and the scuba director made sure we didn’t miss a thing. Everyone got out of the water feeling so blessed that we were able to experience the manatees close up. We even got a nice bonus of hot chocolate when we got out of the water. I would recommend.Go Local 100 percent. They were both very professional, and they both made you comfortable and you could tell they wanted to make sure you were having a good experience. They would be pointing out manatees everywhere! I know there’s a lot of companies that do the manatee tour, but I would highly recommend Go Local because they took care of everything and made all of us feel comfortable! AMAZING EXPERIENCE!

My daughters and I had an amazing experience on our 7am tour. Although we were taken to the same viewing area as a few other groups, there was plenty of space and plenty of manatees for everyone to enjoy. Our group only had five people, which made the whole experience feel more personal and immersive compared to the larger tours around us. We were a bit nervous at first with how close and curious the manatees were, but our in‑water guide, Zac, was incredibly reassuring. Zac clearly understood manatee behavior and helped us stay calm so we could fully appreciate the encounter. We learned so much about how these gentle giants live, eat, and interact with each other, and we even received underwater photos at no extra cost.

If you want to see manatees the ONLY way to do it is to swim with them in their environment! Kayaks IS NOT the way! Go Local is a wonderful company run by the MOST genuine young entrepreneur! I originally booked through a third party but I needed to switch things around and the owner of Go Local was far easier to deal with than the third party people that knew Nothing! Go Local may not have big fancy boats but they are very accommodating and know their stuff and where to go. We saw so many manatees! January is definitely a time to come !

We got to see so many manatees up close and the guides were great! The guides were so knowledgeable and made sure everyone was respectful to the manatees. Can’t wait to come back!

Drove from Ft Lauderdale to Crystal River to swim with the Manatees. Long drive… but totally worth it. There were manatees literally everywhere, and the local guides steered to just the right spots where warm spring water came up from underground, making the water comparatively clear. Watching these gentle giants in their own habitat was truly astonishing. The guides were very knowledgeable, and really took care of every detail, even if the snorkling skills was not at all perfect!

We swam with so many manatee!!!!!!! The crew - Walter and Cristina were amazing! She was in the water the entire time with us and really put our nerves to rest.

Amazing experience would highly recommend, very professional and wonderful photos included. Thank you Lindsay & Josh