Better than other manatee tours. Saw multiple within minutes. Both boat captains were funny and made the ride great.

We had a fantastic time. What a great tour. Laura, our Captain, shared so much knowledge. She made the trip amazing. Tonya and the rest of the group were wonderful. We even scheduled another tour on Friday with them. Can't wait to go swimming with the Manatees!! Highly recommend this company. read more

100% am amazing tour! Captian Mark really knows his craft! All the staff were patient, kind, family oriented and worked together to bring these up close, very personal, and incredible experiences to us! We were a party of 6- two boys 13 and 11, my husband, self, and Dad in the water, my Mom observed from the boat. We had the best time, I mean- MANATEES! read more

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Amazing bucket list experience! The ladies in the office go above and beyond. There is a very descriptive video of what you will experience as well as the rules surrounding the manatees. Then you are fitted for a wet suit. At the pier we were introduced to captain Mark. There were only four of us out on the boat so it was delightful. Our captain was quite skilled and was great at multitasking ie taking us to a secluded spot to swim with the manatees as he guided us from the boat while we were in the water. I highly recommend this tour business. You won't be disappointed! read more

What an amazing experience! This is an absolute MUST do and don't settle for any other group but this one! It's was my husband and myself along with provided naturalist guide, Lacy, and the captains, Laura, who shared a wealth of knowl and expertise. We were up close and pers with several manatees and enjoyed every minute. They took their time and gave us all the time we wanted in our three hour window. Lacy took hundreds of pictures at no extra charge and emailed them in just a few days post our experience. Thank you Lacy, Captain Laura, and Stacey; we will certainly be back again! 10/8/25 Karen and David L read more

I went on a charter with Captain Mark and he was great! Easy to get ready, they only take 6 people out at a time to keep the group small so you get more time in the water and exploring. Got to hang with a manatee and Captain Mark took us over to where the springs were coming up from the ground! Great background about the area and informative- bonus points for hot chocolate when we got out of the water. read more

This charter was fantastic! We booked the 7:30 AM tour and it was perfect! The water visibility was great and our captain Jayson was a hoot and took the time to ensure we enjoyed our time. He lead us directly to the manatee and kept us out of the fray of the jam packed charters. Great attitude and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend this group. Small groups! read more

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Had a great experience today on the water and swimming with the Manatees. Excellent communication from Tonya who runs the front office at Hookin it Charters and Tours who will ensure everything is in order for you and your group upon arrival. Once on the water Cpt Jayson took us to some great areas, found Manatees for our whole group to swim with. Cpt Jayson also took us to some of the last natural springs in the area to swim in. Throughout the duration of our trip Cpt Jayson was engaging in good conversation as well as providing great recommendations on restaurants and additional activities to do in the area. Will come back in the fall time or early winter for sure to do again! read more

we had a great time! first time ever doing anything like this and Gina and Rick were great! We hope to do it again and would definitely use them.! read more

I was the lucky beneficiary of my friend booking a tour for the two of us with Backwater Fins. We had a wonderful time, from walking into the store to check in, to saying our goodbyes and giving a tip that was probably not enough. (Please people, remember to tip your captain!) Captain Randy was our fearless leader. And we thoroughly enjoyed him. He is kind, knowledgeable, AND interesting Weather discussing manatees, boating, cracker cattle, or just about anything! You can only hope that you get to ride on Captain Randy's boat. Thank you Captain Tim, and thank you Captain Randy. We will be back when we have more visitors to bring on a tour! read more

The staff was professional, prompt and well prepared. They start everyone off with a short information session so you know what to expect and how to behave with the Manatees. They fit everyone with wetsuits and send you out with your Captain. We had Captain Mark who helped to make our experience truly amazing We all had a great time and a wonderful day! Would recommend to anyone who wanted a great family experience with nature. read more

Exceeded our expectations from start to finish! We had a great afternoon tour snorkeling in coves and bays in the Crystal River. We were able to watch several manatees and even saw a momma with her baby. Captain Tim gave us the required orientation (rules) and also gave us some tips so that we would have the best experience. Carlos was our guide. He was very professional and knowledgeable and followed all the safety protocols and reminded us of them, also. Highly recommend Family Adventures Charter's Manatee Tours. read more

Family Adventure Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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Hands down the best experience!!!! Knowledgeable, friendly and amazing with kids!! We had a large party so we needed two boats and two captains. Both were nothing short of amazing! Tons of laughs, memories and they knew exactly where to go to see and pet the manatees. Such an awesome experience!!!!! read more

Family Adventure Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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The boat captain was great but the staff was completely rude, we had to change on the boat naked, because they did not allow us to get off till the wet suit was taken off on the boat naked or not. We asked just to walk to the truck for more privacy and the staff told us that would be a problem if you don't take it off here. Weather I am a female or male I should not have been treated that way read more

Family Adventure Charters - The rude staff I do not recommend this place - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Absolutely fantastic trip! Captain Brian worked so hard to find us manatees we had a hands-on experience that we will never forget. Super accommodating friendly people clean his bathroom in Florida two thumbs up!! read more

5 stars for Crystal River, which is a pristine place where you can see manatees during the winter months. 4 stars for the captain who gave us lots of information, however lost his sense of humor when he promised that he would not. 3 stars for the facility, I have had better experiences locally. I didn't shop around when I made my reservation, and believe I could have paid more for a nicer place. 2 stars for the reservation system that left me a little concerned. They did not take a deposit, and only confirmed about an hour before launch. Oh, and "WE TAKE CASH" was repeated three times at least. 1 star for the weird, shocking behavior with the bathroom situation. They would only escort clients to the bathroom and then insist that no bags were brought in, supposedly to ensure that no one flushed anything down the toilet and cost them "$7000" to unplug their septic. Cool, we get it, some people do that for some reason, but it was off-putting and strange when asked to leave the bathroom and return carrying nothing. read more

Great! Great! Great! Capt Tim runs this business professionally and delivers a message of proper behavior while experiencing nature. Our tour was with Capt Chas. He was very personable and excited for us to see and experience the manatees. I'm ready to go back and will tour with CAPT Tim. What a great team! read more

Family Adventure Charters - Snorkeling with the manatee. - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Family Adventure Tours was the first company to answer their phone, so we chose them. Glad we did. Our guide, Captain Tom took us to all the good spots, including a few away from the crowds where we saw several calves, manatees feeding, and schools of fish passing through. We expected to see manatees, of course, but this trip far exceeded our expectations. Water is cool, but clear and amazing. Manatees were nice. 10/10. read more

Family Adventure Charters - Actual GoPro photo taken from trip. - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

We had a great time swimming with the Manatees with Family Adventure Charters. The process and costs were all explained up front and they were very professional and conscientious about making sure that we enjoyed ourselves but also protected the Manatees during our visit. Our Captain Carlos was very patient and relentless in making sure that we found Manatees and were able to have good interactions with them. I'd definitely recommend this business! read more

Family Adventure Charters - King's Bay, Crystal River, FL - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Preamble: I'm not actually a customer of this company, but I did have a rather shocking encounter with one of their hostile employees. As everyone knows, the Crystal River area is a world-famous manatee viewing destination with numerous tour operators offering everything from snorkeling, scuba, kayaking, swimming, etc. it's a wonderful place to see these amazing mammals, and with so many enterprising companies offering rentals and tours, it's no surprise that this area also can get a bit congested with visitors, particularly on a weekend. Yesterday my mom and I rented kayaks from one of the local operators, and were floating passively around a small group of resting manatee near Hunter Springs. Everyone, customers of myriad operators, seemed to be enjoying a peaceful morning on the water when a guy aboard the Family Adventures Charters boat started yelling at my 67 year old mother from across the water "GET AWAY FROM MY PEOPLE!" "GET AWAY FROM MY PEOPLE!!" It took my Mom and I a minute to even figure out who was yelling and what about. First of all, his "people" were exactly one couple who were floating head and shoulders ABOVE water on foam noodles. They weren't even looking under water. We were near them, but not in their way, touching them, or in any way posing a threat or nuisance to them. The Family Adventure employee's shouting was so rude, loud, aggressive, and unnecessary. My mom asked the man of the couple "am I bothering you?" And he said "no", so she incredulously hollered back at the Family Adventures employee "Get away from your people?" He yelled back "That's right- get away from my people!" So I stepped in and called him a... juice-bag... ;) which wasn't very genteel or ladylike of me, but I couldn't believe this guy was yelling at my senior mother and me who were merely enjoying the vicinity passively and respectfully like everybody else. If we had been two men, or even if one of us had been a man, this guy wouldn't have yelled at us with the same kind of hostility. He obviously felt emboldened and like a tough guy because no sooner than I gave him my opinion of him, he dramatically grabbed a plastic chair and took a seat with his knees spread as far wide as east to west in a contrived gesture of dominance. lol. I mean, I would've needed a telescope to see the peanuts on the guy who feels powerful yelling at two women. But, in any event, there he proudly sat with a big print advertisement on his boat that read "Family Adventures..." There are so many tour operators in this area, I definitely don't recommend taking a tour with a company who hires unstable, angry men with limited vocabulary. There were at least two, possibly three, other dive/swim boat operators anchored in the vicinity, and one of the other operators had a dive guide in the water giving educational information to her customers. This guide was pleasant, professional, had great respect for the environment, the manatee, and other human beings in the vicinity. If Captain Capri Sun was legitimately concerned about the safety, well-being, or territorial possession of his customers, he could've communicated it in a much less hostile and alarming way. read more

We used this company to swim with the manatees on a trip to Florida. They were very kind and made the trip a great experience. Captain Tim and his crew care deeply for the manatees and made sure that all riders were respectful during their visit. We had so much fun! It was a wonderful experience and we saw a bunch of manatee. I highly recommend them. Took this photo from a video I took during our trip. So cool read more

Family Adventure Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Captain Randy and Tim were fabulous! We had three generations on our manatee swimming charter. My 10-year-old grandson, who is hard of hearing and normally wears hearing aids, was very scared in the water at first. As soon as Captain Randy realized his disability, he changed his communication style so that Maddox could understand better. Randy was compassionate, knowledgeable, and just a tremendous calming force that enabled all five of us to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Randy found a calm spot where three manatees had gathered - including a baby! We spent over an hour in the water with that group alone. Just a fabulous experience that I highly recommend. read more

Best experience ever! Capt. Carlos was great. The expressions on my kids faces were unforgettable. Memories were made and I'll keep them forever in my heart. Up close and personal with the manatees is amazing...Thank you all for the best encounter ever and memories that this momma of 3 teenagers can keep forever! read more

We had the best experience with Captain Tim and Captain Chaz! There was a cancellation and instead of squeezing all 6 people into one boat, they put me and my boyfriend on our own boat with Captain Chaz making for a really personal and wonderful experience. Chaz took us to all of the good spots and was very helpful in guiding us towards the manatees when the visibility in the water wasn't optimal. He made sure I got as much manatee playtime as possible until I was fully satisfied. We had great conversation and a great 3 hours cruising around beautiful Crystal River and learning about some of the history as well. Captain Tim and the woman at the front desk were so friendly and made the whole experience easy. The manatees are so gentle and chill and it truly was a therapeutic experience just floating with them. We will definitely be coming back in the winter when the gulf cools down causing the manatees to flock to the river for warmth and we will be requesting to be on Chaz's boat once again! read more

Family Adventure Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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My family and I (2 adults, 3 kids) went on the 7:30 am tour with Captain Randy. We had such an amazing time, everyone was so kind and informative. Captain Randy was great at finding manatees for us to swim with, my oldest son can't stop talking about his new manatee friend. I would recommend this company to everyone it was very easy to book and find at the marina. Thank you so much for such a memorable experience!!! read more

Once in a lifetime experience! Randy was great, super friendly and knowledgeable. The tour was all about respect for the manatees which is the most important thing to me. Would definitely recommend! read more

Owner is rude and his customer service is subpar. Prices are ridiculous and we called and were told it would be $45 for 3 hours for a glass botttom Kayak....it was $75. Not happy read more

We went on a great manatee swim with Captain Joe in Kings bay. He took us to a place to swim with the manatees where no one else was around, just the three of us in our party. It was an amazing experience. They are truly gentle giants. If they approach you, you are allowed to touch them with one hand, very cool! I highly recommend this business. They are a small family business, and very friendly and professional. read more

Had a blast, capt tim was very helpful with all the information we needed. Went out with capt mike, he did a great job getting us swimming with lots of amazing manatees. Loved how informative they were about area and animals and also how much attention they paid to making sure their guests respect the animals. read more

Wonderful group of people. My husband and I had a great time swimming with the manatees.

Insufficient COVID protections. None of the employees at Family Adventure Charters- the man who leaned up to the car window to direct our parking, the woman who ran the store portion where we paid/signed in/watched the manatee training video, the man who helped us into and out of our kayaks- wore masks! I found that to be very disappointing. They did offer hand sanitizer at the desk where we paid and signed in and we watched the video in a roped off section of the store with only our group and two employees but masks should have been worn by everyone for public health and safety. Beyond that, the process was smooth, folks were polite and helpful, and the equipment was well maintained. It was a gorgeous day out on the water and we saw a handful of manatees. read more

Thumbs up!! Our Captain was first and foremost concerned with the manatee's human exposure and overall welfare. Beware not every charter company has that in mind. We booked the 7AM charter and the sky was overcast and weather windy = tough topside viewing. Regardless we chugged up a canal and spotted only three but it was a spectacular in water encounter. I felt safe, the Captain was informed and knowledgeable of FL regulations and manatee biology and overall it was a cozy trip I'd do again. Wish there were more manatees and the water was clearer - just be aware it is a gamble with wildlife. Go to a zoo if you want guarantees. 4 stars for boat's condition. read more

We appreciate the professionalism and Experience of our capt. (Randy) we could tell that our experience was more interactive and we found more manatees than other groups in the bay. Highly recommended read more

Had an amazing experience today on the manatee tour. All the staff were very friendly and helpful and really cared about you and the animals. The captain on the boat did a great job of instructing us on where to look when we were out in the water. Was able to see multiple manatees and interact with them. read more

Family Adventure Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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This was an amazing experience, and I can't wait to do it again! Captains Tim and Chaz were so helpful and full of knowledge of these beautiful creatures. We were a group of 23, (no that's not a typo!) and every one of us had an amazing time and can't stop talking about our trip. I was initially concerned about taking that many people out, but from our arrival and check-in, getting fitted with wet suits, to instructions and tips for interacting with the manatees, and then 23 people having incredible experiences- it went perfectly! While arranging this trip with Captain Tim, every time I called him with questions, he went out of his way to try to help. It was so refreshing to deal with the level of customer service this company offers. Thank you Captains, this was an experience we will never forget! read more

I have very good time in here.I book the dolpin tour,it take 2 hour ,i see a lot of dolpin. read more

Family Adventure Charters - Boat Charters Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

We went out with captain Joe on an afternoon cruise. It was my mom, aunt, and I, and we got lucky that it was just the three of us. The best part was Captain Joe was intent on getting us to our "own" manatees so we wouldn't have to share with all the other tour boats. Other boats had large groups and tour guides who were not keeping quiet, despite that being the explicit instruction to keep the manatees happy and undisturbed. Remember, we are visitors in their home and many of the manatees are eating and sleeping. Making a racket around them just isn't cool! Keep it quiet and calm and you just might get a curious manatee coming up to say hello. I even got to give the manatee a good scratch when she came up to say hi in between sea grass munching. Make sure to put your ears underwater and listen to them eating. It's pretty incredible! I will definitely be coming back again, hopefully on an especially cold day as that is when the most manatees turn up to stay warm in the spring water. Book a tour with these guys and you will not regret it! read more

We were very disappointed that after booking a manatee seeing charter almost a month in advance, we were called the morning of our trip to say that we were being bumped from our tour because they overbooked. I understand March is a busy time of year, but I find it hard to believe they only realized it that day. We were in Florida visiting, hence booking so far in advance, plus we were driving almost 2 hours to get there. They offered a spot on a 4:30 tour, but with no discount for our inconvenience, nor taking into account our long drive there and back. With the distance driving and other things planned, we could not do that time. They came recommended to us by a friend, but needless to say I will never use this company if we have a chance to visit that area again. read more

Okay this was one of the coolest things I've ever gotten to do. Our captain Chez was so informative and kind. He made the tour so interesting and fun. He tried to make sure we got time with the manatees away from the other tour groups. When we were in the water he'd be helpful and guide us to where the manatees were. We got to hang out and cuddle with multiple manatees. They provided us with wetsuits and snorkels. Their place was clean and had fun souvenirs to buy. I called months in advance from California and made a reservation with Tim who told me what to expect and what all to bring. He also gave perfect directions to exactly where we needed to go and park. If I get the chance to do this again I definitely will. read more

Originally we had been looking for another outfit but came across Family Adventures instead. We made a spur of the moment descision to go ahead and try the place out. We were treated professionally and friendly and had all our questions answered. We went out on the tour with Capt Matt and couldnt be happier with our experience. Findin the manatees was a challenge but he didnt give up. There were quite a few different groups out that day and i jave to say we had one of the more respectful ones. Capt. Matt was pleasant and knowledgeable and treated us with some history of the area as well as info on the manatees. Some of the other boats out that day did not seem as respectful of the environs and the manatees as our Capt was. read more