The Manatees of Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River, Florida

There are manatees everywhere. I look ahead as Renita points out the brown shape of a sleeping giant and just then a mother and calf swim right next to the canoe. I gently paddle the canoe and I tell myself to be careful so I don’t touch the massive creatures. Ahead one lies sleeping and I propel the canoe towards it as Renita snaps image after image.

The joke we tell people is that we carry the canoe so we can find our truck in large parking lots. It does seem ridiculous at times as we can go for long stretches of time between uses. However just when I think it’s foolish to put up with the hassle we find a place like the Crystal River and the boat presents us with an unique chance to see wildlife up close.

So when we visited the Crystal River Preserve and Visitor Center we asked about paddling opportunities. There a young man told us of two of his recommendation, The Three Sisters Springs and another launch site on the west side of Kings Bay.

The next day we headed for the Three Sisters Springs and it was really wild as we passed the Kayak Shop and launch site twice before we saw the store. It was right in the middle of a busy shopping area and it seemed so out of place, that Manatees could be so near to a busy highway.

The store owner, Mary, told us the etiquette of paddling near the giants and informed us of new regulations. These were a ban on disposable items, like sandwich bags, in the springs themselves. She told us it was only a ten minute paddle to the mouth of the springs and so we launched and started to glide past trees laden with swaying beards of Spanish moss.

Small bluegills and a school of mullet swam by us. Needlefish were everywhere and we soon spotted a hunting snowy egret. An anhinga flew by and landed in a canal as it prepared to fish. Passing houses, we turned several times and there were divers ahead. Could the manatees be that close?

A guide boat was anchored near the opening and a volunteer paddled over on her paddle board. She answered our questions about the spring’s access and cautioned us about the soon to be closed area that was choked with brown shapes.

Entering the narrow springs opening, Renita exclaimed her delight as a manatee passed right under our boat, in water clearer than that in a glass of tap water. A little further in we saw two divers and then another manatee approached the canoe, almost touching us but silently diving beneath.

School of fish swam unconcerned and the springs themselves consisted of three deep areas where the water rose bubbling up through white sand. We canoed back to the canals and then headed towards Kings Bay, again past houses, avoiding all the divers and the other manatee gawkers.

A tour boat told us that there were over fifty manatees in the bend ahead and I am sure he was right as there were sleeping forms and snouts everwhere we looked. I worried that we would startle one and it would upset the boat, but they always knew about us and dove safely as we neared.

One large barnacle encrusted giant lay on the surface Renita reached out and almost touched its side. It didn’t seem concerned and we had been told it was ok, as long as we didn’t harass mothers and calves or tagged individuals.

It seems like everyone with a boat has a manatee diving business and there were four pontoon boats that disgorged their clients. We were told it was a quiet day and we even had the springs to ourselves, (We were told there would be hundreds of divers during Thanksgiving and Christmas break). We paddled through the canals and again there were manatees everywhere.

After three hours we reached the parking spot and pulled the canoe from the water. It had been a magically day and it only cost five dollars, three to park the truck and two for the use of the private ramp. Renita said it was the best five bucks we had ever spent and I silently agreed. This is a comeback to place and if you ever want to see manatees up close, this is the place! Now if I had a wet suit, to go with my mask and snorkel………. Clear skies