So I was on vacation last week in Bradenton and I went snorkeling with manatees on the Crystal river and thought I would share some pictures (I wasn't sure which forum to post this in). Definitely a great time and I recommend this to anyone if they get a chance. First picture is my wife and I petting a juvenile:
The second picture is that same manatee going up to the boat to be pet by my parents:
The last picture is one of the manatee rolling over to get pet on the belly (Kind of like a dog):
In this pic you can see the line that separates the restricted areas from the open snorkeling area. This allows the manatees to interact with people only when they want to. In 15 years of diving I have never seen a wild animal so interested in humans. Manatees have no wild predators so they are extremely docile and quite gentle. This has to rank with one of my best wildlife experiences of all time.
cheers,
Darren
The second picture is that same manatee going up to the boat to be pet by my parents:
The last picture is one of the manatee rolling over to get pet on the belly (Kind of like a dog):
In this pic you can see the line that separates the restricted areas from the open snorkeling area. This allows the manatees to interact with people only when they want to. In 15 years of diving I have never seen a wild animal so interested in humans. Manatees have no wild predators so they are extremely docile and quite gentle. This has to rank with one of my best wildlife experiences of all time.
cheers,
Darren
