While talking with some local Florida residents. Upon being asked where to see manatees, they states Crystal River, Florida. After a little internet follow up, we came up with our plans for Norm's birthday. We went to an RV park just north of Crystal River "Cattail Creek Rv park" Yankeetown, Florida. It was $15 a night full hook ups and wifi. I do not recommend this place. The showers were dirty and there was no hot water. There does appear to be some amount of work being done there and possibly with some time it will improve. The next morning, we packed our inflatable kayak and snorkeling equipment into the car. we went to a dive shop to get myself some flippers. We were able to rent flippers and a dive flag. We had already watched on the internet the required video that tells you how to safely watch the manatees in their environments legally and without posing a threat to the manatees. We blew up the kayak at a local park and paddled out of a river and up into a different branch, It took about 30 minutes. We saw many humps of the manatees in an area that is closed to humans. we went a little more upriver and we came to "Three sisters spring" there is a roped area where the manatees hang out and rest. People cannot enter, but the manatees can swim out. There was a few manatees. At one point a mother manatee and her baby swam right under us. I could see so clearly a scar on her back from a boat propeller. Her baby was about the same size as me and the mamma was huge.
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