What a fantastic spot! We even discovered a hidden walkway through the crystal-clear waters…read more Hands-down the best price in the area for kayaking. We went with KP because of the stream direction, which made paddling back super easy after our adventure. Highly recommend!

Come early! Parking fills up and there is a line to get in as soon as they open (at least on a…read moreweekend day). You can launch kayaks or paddle boards, rent tubes to go down the river, or there is a small swimming area. Water is crystal clear and 70 degrees.

Small beach but a nice place to take a dip! Very pretty area - birding area galore! Worth the trip…read more Again not a big beach but good enough!

Took multi generation family "to the beach" during a visit to Florida in April. Fort Island Trail…read moreBeach seemed like a good start for us and we enjoyed our visit. Arrived around 11 on a weekday and had a choice of parking spaces. Beach was recently smoothed, keeping in mind the area had suffered during a hurricane 6 months earlier, we found facilities were adequate. Row of porta-potties were available. Boat launch and fishing piers were still closed but we wanted beach that day. There are two rock breakwaters at the far edges of beach and several people were climbing and exploring while tide was out. Rocks were covered towards high tide. Line of markers indicated outer edge of swim area. No lifeguards (we knew that in advance) Plenty of room to set up towels, chairs and toys and room to next group. Kids were originally disappointed no crashing waves (they're use to Atlantic Ocean) but quickly decided the Gulf was better as they weren't getting knocked over. We brought our lunch: be aware, lots of birds trying (and some succeeding) to steal food.

Always a great experience with this operation. We usually go out without a guide and find…read moreeverything we want to see with the map and directions they provide. Kayak seats are comfortable... but we've never tried the clear bottom kayaks so I can't speak on those. We had to push off later than scheduled due to the holiday crowds so they gifted us extra time for the inconvenience. Saw lots of manatees! This is a very honest and hard working group who truly strive for customer satisfaction.

Wife and I went to Crystal River, came up from Tampa and spent the day there. Can't say enough nice…read morethings about this tour and business. Caitlyn and Emily our tour guides were great, it was just the two of us on the tour which was awesome. Very relaxing and saw a bunch of manatees. We believe we saw one that was pregnant. Just an enjoyable tour with some wonderful tour guides that went at a very leisurely pace to really enjoy the wildlife and the surroundings. Also thanks Caitlyn for the recommendations on other hikes, we ended up doing the mounds trail and homossassa state park. Thanks again for a great experience and we will be back to do another tour. Highly recommend this group for any kayaking/snorkeling, etc tours.

Swimming with manatees has been on my bucket list for a long time and I was finally able to check…read moreit off. This tour and experience was one of the best I have experienced. Captain Wyn was knowledgeable, helpful, and fantastic at making sure we saw manatees. He even went the extra mile taking pictures for us and sending them without any charges! I have so much gratitude to Blue Heaven that we were also able to do this on Christmas Eve. This is an experience I will not forget anytime soon. We booked the semi-private option and the extra cost was definitely worth the extra money. You will not regret going on this adventure!

We LOVED our manatee tour! Hot coco and heater were a great touch since it was a little chilly in…read morelate December. Wets suits were nice too. Friendly captains and of course friendly manatees!

We had a great day on the river. Derek and Ron were super helpful launching and loading our kayaks…read more Thanks for an awesome time!!

This place is 10/10 amazing! There are so many options along the river and I'm so glad we chose the…read moreright one. From the second we parked, we were welcomed and ready to go! Derrick took the time to tell our kiddos about "oh shoot" the alligator and explain the directions to the coolest waterfront swing along the path. They also took the time to make sure our littles had the perfect size life vests and loaded us into the comfy shuttle van. At KP hole we were unloaded and given time to pay the park entrance and receive our wristbands, then loaded into our kayak at the bottom of the boat ramp. We paddled upriver to visit the headwater then paddled back down to where we parked at RRCK. A few things I wish I had known: be sure to pack plenty of snack in reusable containers, it seems easy to dock and get concessions at the headwater park or Swampy's, but it is not. Also, be sure to bring a rope to tie off while you explore the streams or deeper areas. Overall, it's a perfect day in old Florida! We loved seeing otters, alligators and turtles...and being welcomed by Derrick who loaded up our kayak and asked about our paddle. Nothing better than all the adventures, with none of the clean up or pack up!

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.

My husband and I stopped by the Salty hook to get some shrimp to go fishing this week. It is a…read moresmall shop in a strip mall that has about a dozen parking spots and spots that can accommodate boats. The shop had a wide variety of live and frozen bait. They also have lots of fishing accessories to help make your fishing trip great. There were nets, hooks, bobbers, and more. They also have coolers with a variety of drinks. Rating from F to A+++, I give it an A+++!

Small convenient bait and light tackle shop in a colorful strip mall…read more Next door to a deli and a boat motor repair shop. They have live shrimp. Some frozen bait. Small tackle and some reels. Hours seem to vary due to weather conditions. Owner runs the shop.

We charted Capt. Tyler and 2 other boats to take 12 girls scalloping. Tyler was great, kept us…read moresafe, and helped us score extra scallops. I highly recommend him.

I fished with Captain Reis two days earlier this week. He is knowledgeable, courteous, and willing…read moreto go out of his way to ensure a good experience. I enjoyed my time on the water with him and recommend you book him. He is a new member of the Guide Association, which sets very high standards.