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about Science and Nature
Books
about Manatees
Every winter the endangered manatee
(sea cow) along with several species of fish escape from cold Gulf
waters by swimming up the relatively warm, spring fed, Florida west coast
rivers and Power Plant runoffs. One of the easiest places to see these
vacationing manatees is in Crystal
River, Florida. Located about 3.5 hours south from Tallahassee on Hwy
19, or 2.5 hours north from St. Petersburg (though I recommend the Talahassee
trip since this stretch of 19 travels through the sparsely populated Florida
Great Bend Region), it is a small town that straddles the clear Crystal
River and is only a 30 min boatride from the feeding/sleeping grounds of
the manatee. Every winter as the temperature approaches freezing (at night)
and 65-80 F in the daytime, the town explodes with divers, snokelers, and
wildlife buffs seeking to view and possibly pet one of natures most gentile
large creatures.
While the manatee is not the prettiest animal (so ugly that it is cute), it is very curious and loves to have its belly scratched (gentle scratching removes the brown algae and water lice that are irritants to the manatee).
The first reaction both myself
and my wife had to these beasts was of amazement at the size of them (9-15ft).
As we sat motionless in the very chilly water on that brisk morning in
February (air temp - 33 F, wind chill- 22 F, water temp away from springs-60
F) as still as logs in the very clear water, the first thing we heard was
the squeeking sound (very reminiscent of the numerous bottle-nosed dolphins
at home) of the waking animals. As the sound rose in intensity we we greeted
by the snout of a manatee easily double my length. First he poked my mask
an then proceeded to roll over, inviting me to scratch his belly. While
this experience is not unusual for these animals, it will be one we will
never forget.
Not only are the manatees plentiful
but everywhere around us were both fresh and saltwater fish who had abolutely
no fear of us or the manatees, among them: Mangrove
Snappers, Snook,
Tarpon,
Sheepshead,
and
Largemouth Bass.
When: December-March
(The manatee festival is in late February)
While manatees
are present through out the summer, spring, and fall months
through out southern
Florida (Titusville south on the Atlantic side,
Crystal River
south on the Gulf side) in many intercoastal waterways and
shallow inland
bays and estuaries (The Banana River in Titusville is very
good example)
they are scattered and sometimes very hard to find. In the
winter they are
far more concentrated around power plants and springs (such
as the Three
Sisters at Crystal River) and are easily located, as they seek out the
warmer water.
In the winter
it is simply a matter of traveling to a place like Crystal
River (which
hosts one of the largest concentrations in the world in the
winter manatees
almost always return to the same wintering spot every year
of their long
lives), dropping by any of the dive shops there (the Best
Western has one
on premisis -follow the link on costs to the Crystal River
web site) and
signing up for a morning trip. They leave at 7:00AM and will
show you exactly
what to do and how to dress. For someone who has never
snorkeled before,
this simply means renting and putting on a full body
wet suit (very
easy) and renting a mask, snorkel, and fins. The guides will
gladly show someone
how to use the mask and fins. The boat will take the
dressed out client
up the river (a 15 minute ride) in a pontoon boat, and
then park the
boat and give any lessons required. The only trick is
learning to breathe
out of the snorkel and sitting still long enough not to
scare the manatees.(Note it is illegal to chase, feed, or harass manatees.)
Where: Crystal
River, Florida (The
town and the river)-approximately 100 miles north of Tampa along Florida's
Gulf coast. The springs and the town are 10 miles up river from the
mouth.
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All pictures and text (C) 2006 Bryce L. Meyer All rights reserved.
