Where's Liz? Checking off the bucket list...

[bluepinecones]

Wonderful photos and a great adventure. Thanks for sharing.

[sharon]

That was just beautiful and astounding! Were you snorkling to get those underwater pictures, Liz? I got a chance to pet one when I lived in Florida at a rehab place for manatees. They are such neat animals.

[Liz]

Were you snorkling to get those underwater pictures, Liz?

Yes, snorkeling with an underwater single-use camera. The manatees swim up the Crystal River and hang out in warmer waters near the nuclear power plant and at 3 Sisters Springs. You can take a power boat at idle speed up the river (Speed is strictly enforced by the Coast Guard), watching out for manatees, as the propellars do a number on their backs. We anchored the boat and swam up the channel to the springs....only swimmers or kayaks allowed there. These manatees are in the wild, and there are signs posted on how to interact with them. You are not allowed to harrass them in any way, but they are curious and will swim right up to you, or by you very close. No one is there to limit your encounter. There is a roped off area where manatees can go and you are not allowed...a sort of sanctuary for them.

[sharon]

Now that would be a really cool thing to do! I snorkled with sting rays in the Bahamas once and that was pretty neat, too. But they know there's gonna be treats for them so they get up close and personal. Since they have teeth someone gets nipped by accident every once in a while, so I was kind of careful where I put my fingers! This goes on my bucket list too, if I ever get back to Florida. Sometimes I think I need to ditch the BF and get back on the road. I'm missing to much and not sure if I want to take a long trip with him or not.

[AlmostThere]

Kinda makes you wonder what God was thinking when he made them up, huh? They are very interesting creatures, indeed. How fortunate to be that close to them. Wonderful pics, Liz. Thanks!

[Cedar518]

They are very interesting creatures, indeed.

Manatees look like they are hippo spin=offs. evolution for sure.

[BarbaraRose]

I was down there almost a year ago with my girlfriend. We kayaked from her house on the Crystal River to 3 Sisters springs. It was beautiful! The water is so clear you almost don't even see it, just the sand bottom. I vowed that the next time I go down there that I will bring snorkel gear and get under the water with the manatees. They have the cutest faces! Some of them like their backs and tummy's rubbed. We even saw two of them mating. Lots of splashing going on! I guess there were over 200 manatees that died this year because of the cold weather down there. That is a lot, considering how few of them there are left. They are actually related to elephants! Great pics Liz, and I am jealous!! I can't wait to go back!