Crystal River Watersports

Claire Hargreaves

Fantastic experience and amazing guides. Can't recommend higher. We had Dakota and Jim who gave us some brilliant information about the local area and wildlife. Dakota even had some pretty good Dad jokes! Our son was very nervous at the start and even got out of the water straight away. Jim spoke to him on the boat and gave him the confidence to get back in the water. Dakota returned to the boat once he'd got my husband and I sorted. He then took our son in his arms (whilst snorkelling!) and brought him out to see the manatees. We had the best day ever in Florida and the experience was such a great change from the busy Orlando parks. If you're thinking about doing it - don't hesitate and definitely go with these guys!!!

Matt Kelley

I travel a lot, usually twice a month, I've done a lot of tours and excursions in my time and I have to say that Crystal River Watersports truly delivers an exceptional experience. For anyone who's done "animal encounters" before you'll be all too aware that many of them feel very manufactured and usually incredibly short. I've done encounters with dolphins, penguins, monkeys and they never felt like genuine encounters, typically a handler will let you take a picture or hold the animal for just a few seconds before moving on to the next guest and your time is over. The Manatee experience at crystal river is an exception. This felt like a truly unique and genuine experience. We didn't just spend a couple minutes with Manatees in an enclosed environment we spent hours actually in the water, in their natural habitat at three different sites with about a dozen manatees up close. Our guide Dakota was fantastic, funny, and incredibly knowledgeable. He got in the water with us and truly made it a very easy and enjoyable experience, he ensured everyone was able to spend time with these majestic giants. Jim our boat captain was also great, shared a lot of knowledge with us about the manatees, as well as the local area and information about the wildlife that lives there. We felt very safe in his capable and experienced hands during our entire experience. Lastly Mike, the owner, is truly a very active and engaged business owner. He made us feel incredibly comfortable the entire time, went out of his way to ensure that we had everything we needed and that we had an excellent experience. In short, I could not give any higher praise. This is a truly unique experience, and although there are other similar businesses in the area, if you're deciding who to go with you cannot go wrong with Crystal River Watersports.

Cecilia Thompson

We had a wonderful experience on the VIP Manatee Tour with guide Bethany and boat captain Cody. They were both fantastic - super friendly and very knowledgeable! We were fortunate enough to see lots of manatees in Kings Bay. So much fun! Highly recommend. On top of seeing the manatees, Captain Cody had hot chocolate waiting for us as we exited the water - much appreciated on a very cold day. All around a great experience.

Prity Patel

Best experience ever!! Waters were pretty warm so we were not able to see many manatees, but the experience will be unforgettable! Dakota was the best guide ever and really knew what he was doing out there. Thank you so much for taking care of my son out there! I recommend this place and this activity! We are going to make this a yearly trip! Helpful hints: arrive early and use the restroom before getting into those suits and lines get long! Things to bring on the boat: water shoes and extra pair of slippers to change out of, t-shirt before and sweatshirt/hoodie after, towels to dry. Try to take your own pictures if you can.... We didn't change our clothes after the trip because the lines are long and the bathrooms are just not so great. We were almost dry by the time we got back..so sweatshirt and pants..and put a towel on our seats and changed elsewhere. Schedule trip 1st thing in the morning so it's not so crowded and you still have time to see other areas in the city.