Three Sisters Springs, Crystal River
The only place in the United States where you may legally swim with manatees, in a metre of spring water.
- Depth
- 1–4 m3–13 ft
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Entry
- Shore · Boat
- Typical current
- None
- Coordinates
- 28°53.316′N 82°35.418′W
- Activities
- Snorkelling · Freediving
Crystal River runs at 22 °C all year, so when the Gulf drops in winter every manatee for miles moves in. Several hundred can be in the spring system at once. Snorkel only — scuba is banned here — and the rule is passive observation: float, keep your hands to yourself, never chase, never dive down onto one, and never put yourself between a mother and her calf. Parts of the springs are closed sanctuary and marked; they are closed for the animals' rest, not for the look of it. It is a metre deep, it is not a dive in any technical sense, and it is one of the great animal encounters anywhere.
Ninety minutes north of Tampa by road. Operators launch from Kings Bay; the boardwalk gives shore access at the refuge.
Best season
- ExcellentDec–Feb
- GoodMar
- GoodNov
Conditions
No live conditions for this site yet.
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Marine life you may see
- West Indian manateeTrichechus manatusNov–MarSeasonal
From divers
What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.
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