Homosassa Manatee Tours

Homosassa is one of the few places in Florida where you can share the water with a wild manatee, and our captains run these tours the right way — slowly, quietly and on the animal's terms.

In winter, when the Gulf drops below about 68°F, manatees move into the springs and the river to stay warm. The water here sits at 72°F all year, the visibility is good, and the animals are used to careful boats. That combination is why Homosassa became a manatee destination in the first place.

Two ways to meet them

Swim with Manatees

Snorkel in the springs with a guide, in a group of no more than six. Wetsuits, masks and snorkels included.

3 hoursFrom $69 pp + taxMax 6 guests

Manatee Viewing by Boat

Stay in a covered, insulated boat that is warm and dry, and watch manatees surface from the rail. Wheelchair accessible.

Covered boatNo swimmingWarm & dry

Passive observation, every time

It has to be the manatee's decision to come to us. We do not chase, grab, feed or block a manatee, and we do not promise physical contact. Every guest gets an FWC-compliant briefing before entering the water, and our captains will end an encounter that is not respectful.

That is also what makes a good encounter so memorable. When a manatee chooses to drift over and investigate you, it is because it wanted to.

Other wildlife in the springs

The springs are not only about manatees. Snook and juvenile tarpon hold in the warm water, mullet and jack crevalle school past in numbers, turtles bask on the banks and the eelgrass moves with dozens of species of fish.