Manatee Update: It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like October 🍂

Autumn is in full swing this week in Crystal River, Florida. The cold-front that has been pushing down from the north has dropped the air temperature significantly causing Gulf temperatures to drop to the mid 70s. With cold overnight temperatures we’ve seen more of the migratory population visiting Kings Bay. The cold overnights and warm middays have caused manatee trips to take some effort to find manatees still inside Kings Bay, but we’ve been getting it done all week! Guests this week have been able to swim with multiple manatees during their in-water ecotour. Guests on dry eco-tours have also had great views of manatees, birds, dolphins, tons of turtles, and even some stunningly large tarpon fish! 

Manatees We’ve Spotted This Week

This past week we’ve seen mother and calf pairs who have otherwise been out in the Gulf all summer. Many of them are easy to tell because the barnacles they accumulated on their skin in the salty Gulf have all, or nearly all, fallen off leaving white patches. We’ve been seeing young males who have been exploring the Gulf waters coming into the bay and causing chaos as they chase the females across the waters. We’ve also been able to see numerous pairs of mothers and calves eating alongside each other. 

Where We’ve Seen Manatees

Depending on the day we’re swimming alongside the massive manatees in some of the shallow areas of the bay including spots far away from the springs. With the chilly evenings though we are starting to see manatees in spring adjacent areas including near the Three Sisters Springs. Day to day and hour to hour can and does change where the manatees have spread out to but they have begun to make their way toward the clear water spots!

Wildlife Highlights Beyond Manatees

The fish are huge right now! Tarpon have been swimming in the clear waters providing an awesome opportunity to see them. In the north end of our bay there are bryozoan aplenty- each blob is a colony of invertebrates formally known as pectinatella magnifica or… magnificent bryozoan. We are always excited to see these microscopic zooids as they improve water quality by filtering the water and “eating” algae. Slider turtles, musk turtles, and the occasional soft shelled turtle have also been plentiful providing guests  “ooh” inducing moments. 

Around Town: Food, Fun, and Local Events

Paddletails Waterfront Adventures, the dock we use for pick up and drop off, opened their brand new gift and dive shop this week. The building is right next to our pick up and drop off spot and is overflowing with phenomenal goods! Visit the shop for magnets, stuffies, tylenol, stickers, or candy- they have it all. 

Visit Hunter Spring Park Beach to see the Hunter Spring- freshly cleaned out. It’s a breathtaking sight and easy access right inside the swim area. Hunter Spring is the only spring in the county accessible from free public land. The team from Sea and Shoreline has been in there all week improving it and it shows!

Dry tours and in-water tours are perfect right now- there’s no crowding and minimal boats on the water. Manatees are pushing in due to the overnight temperatures but they’re very active by midday providing some amazing chances to observe them. It’s a great time to visit Crystal River and allow us the opportunity to show you all there is here in and on Kings Bay.