They give you a noodle, and it is touchable to at parts but easy to float.
Just trust the river ventures people they will make it an excellent experience
I found the wetsuit adequate. The noodle was difficult to maneuver once we scratched the belly/back or lightly caressed the face. It was difficult to move away from the manatee. We interacted with a 1700 lb. male for over an hour away from the splashing, yelling fun-seekers. Regardless of what you wear, don't miss this experience.
The water deep varies... Yes wear a life vest if you are not able to swim..and if you have kids just for safe measure..
The water was maybe 10 feet deep. We did get the option to use a life jacket. It was an amazing experience !!!
The depth of the water ranges, though most of the time we could see the lake floor. You can absolutely bring a life jacket to wear! Our guides supplied us with noodle floats, which were helpful when looking for manatees.
Yes, you can wear a life jacket and you also wear a wetsuit and pool noodles are provided for additional floatation. The water varies in depth from 5-6 feet to over 20 in some places.
My mother does not swim. At all. She wore only the wetsuit. The guide towed her to and from the manatees. They give you a pool type of noodle to use for flotation. With the wetsuit you float fine.
Life jackets are not ideal as they make your head come up and your feet go down. As mentioned below, the wet suits increase buoyancy and the noodle helps you stay right at the surface of the water in a "dead man's float" position.
The wetsuits and noodles the company provides make you very buoyant and help you to stay in "manatee" position - face down in the water with your feet up behind you - floating calmly. If you wear a life jacket, you may struggle to keep yourself in this position as the life jacket will constantly pull you in an upright position, and that tends to generate more leg activity which can frighten the manatees away. I think you'll feel quite secure with just the wetsuits and noodles and will have an awesome time like we did.
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