Extremely disappointing experience…read more We arrived about 15 minutes late and expected that, at worst, our tour would simply start without us or that we would be offered a reasonable solution. Instead, we were refused completely. What made the situation even worse was that there were six of us (three couples), and each couple was given a different explanation for why we couldn't go. The stories kept changing, making it feel like the staff were simply making up excuses instead of being honest. Good customer service isn't about never having problems--it's about how you treat people when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, this place chose excuses over professionalism. We wasted our time driving there, made plans around this activity, and left feeling frustrated and disrespected. Based on our experience, I would not recommend this business.

Easy to find, very peaceful and secluded. Almost all the other amenities were closed (water park,…read morebeach, food) and the mermaid show wasn't for 2 more hours so we left after our kayak trip.

One of the best things about the trip was Captain Sean. He was a great guide. He was filled with so…read moremuch information and so many fun facts. He had a great sense of humor. He also knew where to find all the manatees. Also our photographer Serena was great. The photos she took were unbelievable. Well worth the money spent. Which was not a lot considering the amazing pictures we got. It's going to capture our memories at snorkeling with manatees forever. It was on our bucket list of things to do and I totally am amazed by the experience. It wouldn't have been the same without the captain in the photographer. It was just the perfect day.

Awesome adventure they took our time with us and the tour guides really take such special care of…read morethese precious manatees. We loved it!!

Took a weekend trip to Tarpon Springs to visit this state park. Arriving after 9am with only a 20…read moremin wait to enter was great given it's a Sunday in the summer. While it was difficult to find a chair / shade we secured a chair in the sand area. The water was freezing but expected. It was also very relaxing. The wildlife is awesome to see. We got hot dogs, pepperoni pizza, cherry limeade. The lazy river does cost extra but it's worth it, I'd love to return because unfortunately due to inclement weather the water attractions were shut down.

We visited Weeki Wachee on a Friday near the end of the season, and the park was blissfully…read moreuncrowded. We'd done our homework and knew the slides would be closed, so that wasn't a disappointment. We even called ahead to confirm the mermaid show was happening. The recording directed us to the app, which listed the show. Great! What it didn't mention was that it would be a training show, with spoken instructions and coaching for the mermaids throughout the performance. We only learned that when we arrived for the show. I gave it a chance but ended up leaving. The boat ride was also closed "due to low water" also not noted on the app. The park was clean, and the water felt amazing, but the mermaid show was something I'd looked forward to due to the longevity/history of it. Everyone needs time to learn, and I certainly don't fault the mermaids for that. A simple "training show" note in the app would have helped us know what to expect. We did our research; we just wish the information had been complete. Sounds like miscommunication and lack of transparent information had earned them a lot of low reviews.

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!

We had an amazing time with Mandy and Captain Henry! Mandy…read morewas very knowledgeable and guided us through this first time encounter. Actually the whole crew made sure we have a wonderful experience! We managed to see 5 manatees and 2 dolphins in shallow waters and to swim in a crystal clear spring water. Highly recommended!

This was one of the highlights of our Florida trip! Kia and Jake made an amazing team. Kia was our…read morein-water guide and Jake captained the boat, and both were friendly, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about what they do. We were fortunate enough to get up close and personal with Triangle the manatee, and Kia made sure everyone in our group had an opportunity for a face-to-face encounter. Along the way, we learned a lot about manatees, their habitat, and the importance of protecting these gentle giants. We also got to explore a beautiful natural spring tucked away in the back of the bay, which was an unexpected bonus and absolutely stunning. Kia took some fantastic underwater photos during the tour and had them sent to us before we even left, which was a wonderful touch and gave us great memories to take home. The small-group atmosphere made the experience feel personal and relaxed, and Kia and Jake worked seamlessly together to ensure everyone had a great time. If you're considering a manatee tour in Crystal River, this is the one to book!

Pros: easy online registration and scheduling; Front desk…read moregirl for check in was great super sweet. Very nice and informative. We were a bit late and she extended our reservation. I was quite thankful. The kayaks were fun and we were left to our devices to explore. Isaiah was cool and very laid back. We were also a half hour late coming back and they were totally cool with it. Thank you! I can't believe I saw the baby manatees. I literally cried. Cons: I was surprised they just let us out with no real guide! It was cool but I'm surprised they trusted us. We kinda got lost the first 90mins and didn't know where we going but eventually we got to the area where the manatees were gathering. A bit crowded and I felt bad everyone so close to the protected species. Overall a super a cool experience. We went during manatee festival in January so it was a bit crowded but not overwhelming. It was a beautiful day with beautiful site seeing. Def recommend!

The girl at the front desk was an air head when I first arrived I went inside because it was…read morefreezing and she made me walk around to the outside front of the building so that I could grab a clip board and walk inside which she could have easily handed me. That was weird Then she didn't tell us we had to pay for parking at the dock neither did the guy that was at the dock when we got there! I overheard him telling someone after we were done for the day he said that they can park at the rental place and walk so they don't have to pay but we were already unloading and done with our rental. We got back to the car and had a $50 ticket. I would be fine with paying but I didn't see any of the signs or where to meter even was. I also told her I wasn't swimming and she said to get in the water you have to have an wetsuit which costs extra and I kept saying I'm not getting in the water but I she just ignored me and then I saw SO MANY PEOPLE not in wetsuits so that was irritating. And the wetsuits were in terrible shape they had holes and stains all over it she handed it to me and I was like thins is what I paid $100 for ? And she was like yeah they are all old. This is a CRAP Buisness!!! Especially what you get for the price!! The manatees are cool and I recommend doing it but NOT using this company.

Garrett was a blast! We are just coming into the warm season and most manatees are back in the…read moregulf, he still got us to 7 manatees, 2 gators, and we caught a dolphin in kings bay towards the end. He gave us plenty of time to look for things to come up out of the water which was great for my 2 year old. Boat was shaded and was enjoyable even with a small child. Other tours wouldn't let me book because she was under 3- we brought our own lifevest but they did also have some on board that were her size.

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!

MANATEES ARE MAGICAL! We saw well over 30+ manatees on our late January kayaking outing. We rented…read morea 2-seater top kayak (comes w paddles and life vests). And from the staff to the dock hands, to the quality of the vessel and cleanliness of the shop: 10/10. A guide handed us a laminated map (nice touch) and told us where to head for manatee sightings. And even pointed us to a cove that homes a lot of turtles and alligators. We saw it all! They have volunteers overseeing the 3 sisters springs, to help monitor the safety of the manatees (and scold ignorant people lol). Great time! If you're unsure, let me assure you.. just book.

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!

We did the guided tour on the Chassa river and the guide was so accommodating and cool. Me and my…read morefriend booked same day and it ended up just being the 3 of us. We were iffy about having a guide but the experience would not have been the same without him. We would've had no idea where to go on that river. He took us to the cracks you can swim through on both ends, explored to see animals, and told fun stories. We could tell he loves doing this, he had just as much fun as we did :)

Went to Silver River today with Mac of Florida Eco-Adventures! Had an excellent day... good…read morekayaking, good people, good conversation, and saw lot of Florida Flora and Fauna! M ac is very easy to work with... and he takes good care of his kayakers! Highly recommended for anyone that want to get out and enjoy a wonderful day on the water...

This was our second time using Birds to swim with Manatees and we will choose them every time now…read more Had an amazing experience with Captain Misty and Guide Gina. Highly recommend the 6am tour as you get viewing time before it gets really busy. I really appreciate Birds Underwater as they do a great job educating you about the manatees and how to passively observe. Made the manatees more comfortable and as a result we got to have some amazing interactions with them.

If you want to be the first on the water in the morning to see the manatees before the crowds of…read moreother people get out there, this is the place to come. We set out before sunrise and were ready to go once the sun hit the water in the morning. Our guide was the perfect mix of hands off and hands off. He showed us how to attract the manatees and interact/passively observe them, and created a shared group experience that you could partake in, but also let us wander about in our own and have intimate one on one time with the manatees, which I didn't see happening with the other groups that came out into the water later, they seemed more uptight and controlling of their groups. This was the highlight of our Florida trip and I'm so grateful we picked the best company to go with. They supplied snacks and drinks on the boat and a changing room after getting out of the water. The wet suits and snorkel gear they supplied was very quality and felt new. The main store we met at had lots of manatee goodies and snorkel and scuba gear. It was very cute and were pleasantly greeted by the boat captain when we came in in the morning. It felt like a big happy family of a crew and we had the greatest time out there. I will never forget having a manatee come hug me and try and eat my hair. We had a total love fest with each other for a solid 2 minutes, and the manatees were very interactive and curious and playful in general which made for a great experience. We were in silver springs that day and we saw so many manatees. This crew knows where to go and makes for the best experience. It's flexible to spend as much time as you'd like in the water and get out whenever you've felt you've fulfilled yourself and then enjoy sitting on the boat and watching the manatees go by on the beautiful morning.