Originally published January 8 2026 in Zoomer Magazine
I’m face-to-snout with a 1,000-pound monster as the water of a Florida spring bubbles around me. I’m desperately trying not to flail, scream or madly paddle away because I’m told THEY DON’T LIKE THAT.
“Don’t panic,” my dive guide, Ross, says to me – a person who is definitely panicking. But things don’t stop there. Another enormous water creature wraps its flipper around my arm. Another one swims right under my feet. There may even be a fourth one squooshing me from the other side, I’m not sure – I lose count of how many swimming, elephant-like beings are very, very interested in me. It feels like a cuddle puddle from a rave in 1996, except this time it’s not a guy in phat pants, it’s a big pile of manatees.
I’m in the small town of Crystal River, Fla., the “manatee capital of the world.” Every winter, hundreds of lumbering manatees, (which can weigh up to 1,300 pounds/590 kg and grow to 13 feet/4 m – the size of a large sea lion), flock to the sparkling, warm waters of various springs throughout this region to escape the cold waters of the Gulf of Mexico. These gentle marine mammals are basically snowbirds, and while their abundance here between November and April each year makes it ridiculously easy to catch glimpses of them – from boardwalks at Three Sisters Springs and the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, on scenic boat tours with The Plantation Adventure Center or while kayaking or paddle boarding throughout Kings Bay or the Homosassa River – nothing really beats the mind-blowing experience of snorkelling with them.
I’m swimming with Paddletail Waterfront Adventures, a dive shop and tour company that’s part of the Paddletail Waterfront Lodge, a shore-side motel that goes all in on its manatee-forward vibes. (If you’ve been longing for some throw pillows covered in prints of manatees, I know a place you can find some!)
“Oooh, looks like you’re getting loved on,” Ross says cheerfully, as he observes my four-on-one manatee party. Another manatee takes a liking to Ross, snuggling up to his face while possessively wrapping a flipper between his legs. (What can he say? He looks great in a wetsuit). “Hello, baby,” he says to her like he’s talking to a Labrador, while yet another manatee nibbles on the zipper string of his wetsuit.
Thanks to recent chillier temperatures, I’m told we’ve hit the manatee jackpot today. The colder it is outside, the more of them will make a beeline from the Gulf, where they feed, to the warmer waters of the springs, where they play with Ross. I think there are at least 50 manatees just in the small area we’re in – about the size of an Olympic swimming pool.
Manatees are super curious and sociable, but they’re not dangerous. They’re herbivores (you do not want to see one of these enormous sea cows coming for your all-you-can-eat salad bar – an adult can gobble up to 150 pounds of aquatic plants a day) and because they’re too muscle-y to taste very good, they don’t have any natural predators. As a result, they’re not particularly scared of anything, including people.
Crystal Springs is home to the only national wildlife refuge in the United States specifically created to protect habitats for manatees, and more than 400,000 visitors come to see them every year. They’re the official marine mammal of Florida, and a major draw for tourists.
Do you know why? Because they’re cute as hell, and once I stop being freaked out and gaze – at length – into the eyes of what amounts to a friendly, floating elephant (they are actually related), I feel, as my teen says, “locked in” and so intensely in the moment it’s like I’m on some sort of mind-altering substance.
Manatees are an endangered species, so there are strict rules about how you interact with them. The motorized boat we toddle out on is parked away from the entrance to the shallow spring – we dog paddle in wearing wetsuits and clutching pool noodles. You can’t chase or initiate touching manatees. Even if you’re the lucky recipient of a famous manatee “hug” like I am, you’re not allowed to touch them back. You’re not even really supposed to wear flippers or swim too actively around them because it’s disturbing– you can just float and “passively observe.” Volunteer enforcers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission cruise around on kayaks and stand guard on boardwalks everywhere you go, to make sure the rules are being followed.
Manatee calves, who nurse for up to two years, are often sighted with their moms in the area. Ross and I watch as one juvenile repeatedly moves around a piece of tubing on the riverbed floor that marks off the designated area where humans aren’t allowed to enter. He looks like a four-year-old who just got a LEGO set for Christmas.
“Is he…playing?” I ask Ross.
“Yup, he’s renovating,” Ross says. “He wants to expand the sanctuary!”
After about an hour, our manatee party is over – except for one dopey dude who follows us all the way back to the boat. “Sorry, bud,” Ross says. “You gotta stay here. I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Back at the dive shop, Ross – who had been filming the excursion with a GoPro the whole time – screens the footage for us so we can decide if we want to buy our very own manatee-shaped USB key with evidence of our encounter for $40 (how is that even a question? Obviously yes!).
And while it’s often hard to discern who’s who between me and Ross with our matching wetsuits, I can always tell when I’m within range of the camera because I can hear myself giggling and squealing with my new 1,000-pound friends.
Best all-day breakfast
This cute, locally owned roastery and café on the “main” drag of the historic downtown of Crystal River – you can walk the length of the town in about 15 minutes – has an extensive menu that’s full of surprising twists on standard breakfast items and sandwich-y fare. An extremely hearty breakfast club sandwich stars an Asiago bagel piled with hickory smoked bacon, Boursin, cranberry-mustard chutney, ham, turkey, Swiss cheese and an egg. You can also choose from more than 20 flavoured coffees and 10 hot chocolates. If you’re there on a Friday, that’s Lobster Roll Fridays, baby!
Best Fancy Dinner
We’ll forgive them for spelling Kraft with a K because of the beautifully executed Maine lobster tails with perfectly cooked mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts, and the pretty location right on Kings Bay. Also, don’t miss the jalapeno cheddar cornbread with honey butter as an appetizer – because Florida! This newish surf ’n turf opened in 2024 and has quickly become the destination for a nice night out in town.
Old-School Candy Fix
Can a place even be called The General Store if it doesn’t have spinning racks of retro American and European candies like giant gum drops, Red Hots, Satellite Wafers, Grandpa Joe’s Boston Baked Beans, Pennsylvania Dutch Candies Circus Peanuts and Root Beer Barrels? Confectionary nerds can’t even.
If You Like Tea
Visit The Tea House 650, a charming old bungalow that’s now a tea shop and lunchtime bistro where you can choose from 70 flavours of tea and have a cute little sandwich while you’re at it.
Best Antiques Shopping
Hidden Treasures Antiques & More
The surprisingly large Hidden Treasures Antiques & More is a thrift and consignment store that’s home to more than 20 vendors, making for a beautifully bizarre mix of everything from vintage toys, clothing, vinyl and magazines to old-timey glassware and décor items. I may have gone back at least twice, desperately wishing I had some need for some adorable circa-1950s Mother Goose wooden pin-ups for my dream retro toddler bedroom.
Where to Stay
Paddletail Waterfront Lodge
This clean and serviceable motel is perfectly located right on the shore and within walking distance of the downtown strip – where you’ll find most of the city’s restaurants. There’s also a tiki bar, a small pool and a complimentary breakfast that starts at 6 a.m. so you can fuel up for your 7 a.m. dive.
Getting Here: Crystal Springs is 64 kilometres from Tampa airport on Florida’s Gulf Coast.