All of it. We had Nat and Emerson lead the way. She answered questions to a young boy and everyone…read more She was fun and informative. Emerson too!!

I don't know where to start…read more This was the absolute best day. We started at the River Ventures Dive Center at 6:30AM, where we were offered coffee, tea, hot cocoa and snacks, and spent the next bit with an educational video and a wetsuit fitting. From there, we took a bus to the dock, in the most gorgeous sunrise light. let by our Guide Nat. Captain Emerson met us at the covered, heated pontoon, and our group set off through the water, for the protected manatee zone. The water was FULL of our sweet sea potatoes... in fact, it was difficult to even get off the boat because our new friends swam right up to the ladder. Nat had given excellent instructions. We immediately leaned into our pool noodles and gently followed her lead through the water. It took just moments before manatees were all around us. We stayed calm and quiet, and they either continued snoozing, or swam up to investigate us. Nat was on point with the camera, and with showing us things like the tarpon and sheepshead fish, and she was also shared little details about the manatees as we floated. Of course, with nature, there are no guarantees, and I really had no idea what to expect, but I was absolutely delighted by the interactions we had. The cold snap absolutely played into our favor, and I am so glad we showed up with our adventurous spirit. When we returned to the boat, there were more snacks, as well as hot cocoa, coffee, tea, and a variety of drinks in the cooler (water, beer, wine, soda, and white claws). We were so grateful for the boat covering and heater as we made our way back to the dock, and we had great chats with Nat, Emerson, and the other group on our tour. Was it cold? Sure. But the water felt great at 72ºF, and our wetsuits did a wonderful job of protecting us and keeping us buoyant. Our experience was incredible, from booking, to engaging with the staff with any questions we had, to the actual tour itself. The photos and videos were absolutely phenomenal, as well, and we were happy to purchase the package, as well as some gifts from the souvenir shop. We will be back for more manatee viewing, or to try one of their other tours. Thank you so much for the best day!

One of the most beautiful parks I love coming here even just for a walk.Workers there always…read morefriendly

Had a beautiful day! Got to see turtles and alligators and even the monkeys! Worth our time and…read moremoney for sure! My 11 yr old had an awesome time and was happy to have gone! She asked the boat man 100 questions and he politely answered them all .. which was super nice. Also he informed us about the museum that was close but not in the property and it was very informative for our visit and homeschool information! Definitely go there too if your visiting

Our visit was on the 8am trip of May 10th. Though it is not prime manatee season Captain Chad and…read moreour guide Jacob did everything they could to give us the best experience we could have in the off-season. Captain Chad had someone checking the waterways via drone to scope out the prime spots for manatee observation. At our first stop Jacob got into the water first to see if the manatee was in the mood for visitors. He realized that the manatee wasn't keen on having us nearby so he hopped back on the boat and Captain Chad took us to another location. He sent up another drone and was able to locate a mama and baby grazing nearby. Jacob was great about making sure everyone was able to get a good view of these amazing creatures. He even pulled me from the back of our group of 4 to get me up front as I was keeping more than a respectful distance to the manatees and was missing a lot by hanging so far back. They both went over and beyond to give us the best experience and I felt like we were hanging out with friends. Back at the shop we were able to hold baby opposums that had been rescued and were being cared for by the staff. We made a few purchases and made sure to purchase all the photos and videos Jacob took on our adventure for $40. This was one of the best experiences of my life and we will definitely be back :)

Had an amazing time with Mer'man Saw lots of manatees…read more They supplied warm jacket and hot chocolate after our trip.

The grounds and facility were exceptionally clean and well maintained so there wasn't even a need…read moreto question the maintenance of the actual airboats. Our guide was Capt.Kyle, he was knowledge, experienced and highly respectful of the surrounding nature. This is a must-do for anyone wanting to experience the real Florida. Being a native Floridian who was raised with airboats and swamp buggies, I can attest that this brought back great childhood memories and I can't wait for my grandkids to come and experience the adventure as well.

We had family fly into town with small grandkids and we all decided to do the airboat ride on a…read moreMonday morning. Out boat captain, Sam, was knowledgeable and full of information and lore of the lake and habitat. He has very good eye to spot sleeping and sunning alligators throughout the full hour of our trip, also giving us exciting sped and spins in the airboat and through the creeks and springs of the lake and adjoining passages. Holding the alligator was another highlight for most of our group. The three year old gator was three feet long and fairly calm. All around great local thing to do.

(I'd give 10 stars if I could!)…read more Highlights: *FREE pictures and videos! *Smaller boat & group = more personal and attentive experience *If you're from out of town, these are the knowledgeable locals we all hope to find on our travels *AMAZING experience! Truly delightful *chef's kiss* This experience was the absolute highlight of my trip to Florida! The captains did an amazing job -- they were so knowledgeable, friendly and playful. I learned so much about the wildlife and felt like they genuinely went out of their way to make sure I had an unforgettable time in the water. The smaller boat and smaller group size made the whole experience feel personal, lots of attention to detail. If you're thinking about swimming with the manatees, there's really no choice -- you have to go with Go Local. Thank you all so much for making my birthday trip incredible. I'll definitely be doing this again!

We had the best time today on our manatee swim. Captain Misty is very knowledgeable and tons of…read morefun. Derrick did an excellent job of getting us all up close and personal with the manatees as well as keeping our group all together. We will definitely come back!

While in Crystal River, we took 2 boat trips: a private sunset tour with Manatees in Paradise, and…read morea private swim tour with a different company the next day. Both of the companies we used are Save the Manatee Club Guardian Guides, which was important to us. Our sunset tour with Manatees in Paradise was infinitely better than our experience with the other company, for a few reasons. First of all, Captain Jake is awesome -- super knowledgeable, personable, laid back and obviously respects the area and the wildlife. The boat was extremely clean, organized and comfortable. Plus, their boats have a cage around the propeller, which further protects manatees (most other companies do not have this, including the other Guardian Guide company we used). We also loved that Captain Jake was flexible and tailored the trip to our interests. The entire experience was what we expected from a private tour and seems to be the highest quality option available in the area, yet the prices are exceedingly reasonable. This was our first time visiting Crystal River, but we will absolutely come back soon for a manatee swim tour with Manatees in Paradise. I wish we had booked both of our boat tours with them in the first place!

My girlfriend and I came to the port not knowing what to expect, being from Chicago. We met Sandy…read moreon the pier and found her to be both knowledgeable and extremely personable. Once on board, Captain Jake led us to all the popular hang-outs to see Manatees up close and personable. In a nutshell, the three hours we spent with Jake and Sandy was truly an enjoyable experience. If you want a personal tour and not the big business rush job, book these people!!

Did the tour over Christmas holiday to Florida. Plan ahead early, they fill up fast! Great tour,…read morevery efficient. Captian and dive instructor did a great job. Nice warm jackets provided between dives which is a great help...gets chilly between dives. Took us to three dive spots and we were not disappointed, manatees everywhere! Big sweet docile creatures, very nice. Water is warm coming out of springs, and very clear in the early morning hour we were there. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who love animals and see in their habitat.

Capt Greg was very informative about the area and the manatees. Our guide in the water, Leah,…read moreseemed to be the manatee whisperer and she attracted a few to her. It was on my bucket list to swim with these wonderful, gentle creatures and I am more than satisfied with our experience. I think we were a little late in the season because they are moving out of the very clear water toward the warming ocean. If I do it again, I would chose December or January to see hundreds of them in the river. Very positive experience with this company because they truly love and want to protect the manatees.

We had an amazing time on our manatee tour! We got to see several manatees up close. Our guide,…read moreJohn, was fantastic. He was funny, informative, and just an awesome guy who clearly knows how to make the tour fun for everyone. He shared so much interesting information while keeping us laughing the whole time. Highly recommend this tour, especially if you get John as your guide!

As a Florida native, it is absurd that I have never had any sort of manatee interaction! My…read morelongtime friend booked us a semi- private tour for my birthday and we could not have had any better of a time. As luck had it, we were the only ones on the tour! Even though we went during the low season (August) when not as many manatees are present in the water, it also happens to be the time of year where the babies are around. Our Captain used a drone to locate a mother and baby manatee where no other tour groups were located. We were in very shallow water, and the manatees literally swam underneath of our bodies, pushing us up to the surface and rolling us around where we were completely powerless and stuck within the mangroves. It was absolutely amazing and brought tears to my eyes! Our guide Zach and Captain Ryan we're fabulous and I really look forward to doing this again. I cannot recommend this company more and I'm so glad that we booked with them!

Wonderful to see during cold weather especially when the manatees gather there. Lots of manatees!…read more Walk or take the trolly from the parking lot. Pricey but worth it to see so many manatee close up in crystal clear water.

Do you want to see Manatees in the wild? Come here!…read more Late November to early March these wonderous creature come to the warmer inlets of the gulf and like to habg out here at the 3 sister's spring, where the water is 72°F year round, and crystal clear. The grounds of the spring head are nicely kept, and contain a nicely informative walk. Come see the floaty potatoes!

We have not done an airboat ride on the river so this trip we decided to do this. We had a great…read moretime with our guide. He was very good at spotting the gators and other critters along the river. He had a nice commentary and useful information about the history of the area. The airboat was very loud so it was quite difficult to hear everything he said. Our guide even gae us a nice run on the river with a bit of a splash/spray as he made the turn! Definitely saw lots of gators this trip. After the trip, you are invited to visit the main shop which was also the check in area for an opportunity to hold a real life baby gator! The gator was rather soft on the belly side. Was a fun trip. The day was not too hot so it was very enjoyable.

Captain Frank was very knowledgeable about the area. Great day on the Withlacoochee River.read more