Day #105 - Kayaking with manatee

Crystal River, Florida

The very first time we drove to Florida, we stopped at the rest area at the border, sampled free orange or grapefruit juice, and gathered handfuls of brochures about cool things to do in Florida. This is one of those things. Kayaking with manatees has been very high on my “things to do before you die” list. So this day started out with me being very excited because there was a very good chance that we would see some manatee.

We left from Crystal River Kayak’s (http://kayakcrystalriver.com) nice floating dock. The cost for use of the dock is reasonable, and they have set up outside changing rooms near the dock. Mary and David run the shop and they briefed us about being respectful around the manatee. Give them lots of room. Don’t touch them. Let them sleep. Do not ride them. We were surprised by this last one; I figure “don’t touch them” covered that. They gave us a laminated map that pointed to Three Sister Springs, a natural warm-water refuge for the manatee, and we were on our way.

It was a pleasant paddle to the springs. There was little or no boat traffic. We were in a boat channel, looking at docks, boats, and people’s back yards. We didn’t have much trouble finding the springs. There is a no entry zone to the left of the springs where manatees hang out to rest. There were a few power boats outside the main entrance, and near this area. The big boats are blocked from entering the narrow channel that leads back to the springs. We navigated that with no trouble and then entered the springs. The view took my breath away -- and then made me sick.

The springs are a very small area, and we kept to the sides to stay clear of the manatee and the many, many tourists. Tourists on sit on top kayaks were jumping into the water so they could touch a manatee. There must have been 20 people with snorkel masks on. Half of them were chasing the manatee. Several kayakers were just harassing the poor creatures. We pulled ourselves into the shallow water on the sides and just tried to digest it all.

As a result of the record breaking cold weather here in Florida, about 300 manatees have died. Their immune systems just can’t cope. Many of those that have survived are struggling. Mass numbers have come into the area, and have eaten most of the food in the warm springs. At night they go out into the bay to search for food, during the day, they try to sleep in the warm springs. Between the bay and the springs are tourists in motor boats. Motor boat propellers are not kind to the large, slow moving animals. So manatees basically have a daily struggle.

Can you imagine being sick and tired and trying to sleep and have someone insist on poking you every 20 minutes or so, because they just want the experience of touching you? Once that jerk swims away, another takes their place. People “love” the manatee to death. Some teenagers were trying to see how many they could touch. A dad and his son in scuba gear were chasing another one. It was heartbreaking. There were around one hundred manatee in this little area smaller than a football field, and there were at least 50 people on boats or in scuba gear. I was complaining LOUDLY to Suzie “What the hell is wrong with these people?” Suzie told me to keep my voice down. “Why?” I demanded. “You are bothering the manatee. They told us to be quite around them.” She was right!

I was wondering why there wasn’t someone here patrolling this area. Making sure the animals were not harassed. About that time, a fish and game volunteer showed up. He put an end to the craziness, and must have called for some backup, because another volunteer showed up about 15 minutes later. Turns out they really need volunteers. They only ask you to commit to four hours a month. I seriously considered moving here to help protect these beautiful creatures.

Once things settled down, we were able to float around and observe. Several times manatee swam near us or under us. There were many that were still sleeping in the deeper water or on the edges of one of the three springs. It was a beautiful and moving experience. One of the volunteers told us that the nearby refuge is hoping to purchase the land and keep everybody out during the winter months when the manatee need to be left alone. It sounded like a good idea to us. We were both grateful and disheartened to see the manatee today.

If at some point you would like to see some manatee, or kayak near them, there is a movie that you can watch, so you know how to behave. It’s a cool flick, with great manatee photos; it is called Manatee Manners. I’ve included a link to it and several good causes below:

Mantaee Manners
http://www.fws.gov/crystalriver/media/video/ManateeEnglish_768K.wmv

Save the Manatee Club
http://www.savethemanatee.org

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
http://www.fws.gov/crystalriver