How To Swim with Manatees for Free!

Looking to swim with manatees away from the crowds? Let me introduce you to Chassahowitzka River, Homosassa—a hidden gem in Florida that promises unforgettable encounters with these gentle giants.

After years of exploring the Sunshine State, I stumbled upon this lesser-known manatee spot. It’s my favorite winter getaway for up-close manatee moments. From playful juveniles to peaceful encounters with moms and calves in Homosassa, FL never fails to impress.

Article Summary

1. Swimming with Manatees in Homosassa, FL
2. What You Can Expect Swimming with Manatees in Homosassa
3. Chassahowitzka River Campground, Homosassa, FL
4. Nine Ways to Spot a Manatee
5. Four Important Tips for Keeping Yourself and Manatees Safe
6. What to Bring When You Swim with Manatees
7. Twelve Manatee Facts You Don’t Know!
8. A Few Last Thoughts

1. Swimming with Manatees in Homosassa FL

The most popular spot for manatee swimming is Crystal River, FL. – but it’s crowded with tourists and expensive.

Looking for an “off-the-beaten-path” manatee experience? Head to the Chassahowitzka River, Homosassa, Fl instead. Homosassa is located about 2 hours north of Tampa, FL.

Chassahowitzka River is less known than other manatee hotspots, so it’s a great place to enjoy some quality time with these gentle animals without sharing them with as many tourists.

Remember this isn’t Disney World. There is always a degree of luck when trying to have a manatee experience with them in their natural habitat.

The rewards are worth the effort! After 10+ years of living in Florida, I’ve learned a few tricks to spot them.

The easiest way is to rent a kayak and paddle around the river manatee “hunting”. Even someone who has never been on a kayak can handle one. The rental company will be happy to instruct you.

But if you are ready for a life-changing experience – grab (or rent) some snorkeling gear and swim with them!

2. What You Can Expect Swimming with Manatees in Homosassa

Florida is one of the only places in the world where you can snorkel with manatees in the wild. Swimming with them is an unforgettable experience.

Florida manatees are some of the coolest creatures around – I’ve been kayaking with them many times, but nothing compares to the experience of swimming with them!

I found this out (on a whim) when a friend and I drove up to the Chassahowitzka River Campground with our kayaks.

We went through all that work loading and unloading the kayaks and didn’t end up needing them!

We just walked down to the river, via the boat launch, and there they were! Seven manatees (three moms and four calves) hanging out at the spring in front of the boat launch.

Manatees are federally protected by the Endangered Species Act, so you must be careful not to touch, get too close, or chase them.

This is hard because as soon as you see them in the water excitement quickly overpowers reason.

I get so excited to see them, that it is hard to resist the urge to swim up and pet them!

Honestly though, if you are patient, move slowly, and stay still, they will become comfortable and swim around you.

We were rewarded with three different manatee mothers and four calves swimming around us. That was an experience that I will never forget.

However, the day got even better in a way I had never in a million years imagined.

I was minding my own business – watching (and taking a million photos with my new GoPro) mom and calf manatee resting near the spring when I got suddenly get hit from behind by a juvenile manatee!

The young manatee circles me swims and lifts up my hand at least 5 times before I realized he wanted a back scratch.

I was worried because I thought this was illegal and left the manatee to find my friend and explain what was happening.

I didn’t want someone to think I was harassing a manatee (besides federal law, Manatees are fiercely protected by locals across Florida).

Luckily, a local lady was kayaking near me and said there was a playful manatee in the area.

Apparently, you can touch them BUT ONLY if they come up and touch you first!

The young manatee followed me across the river and bumped into me again!

This incredible little manatee played with us for almost two hours – and we never left the boat launch area!

All of this for the cost of a $5.00 parking pass!

This is such an unforgettable experience, one that I hope everyone gets to have in their lifetime.

3. Chassahowitzka River Campground, Homosassa FL

Manatee swimming is a popular activity among tourists visiting Florida. There are many Florida manatee tours where you will be on a crowded tourist boat and pay a lot of money to swim, scuba or snorkel with manatees.

However, I found out that you don’t need to pay a lot of money to have an unforgettable manatee encounter.

The Chassahowitzka River is one of the best-kept secrets for swimming with manatees in winter. It’s less crowded than other tourist spots, and the scenery is just as beautiful.

The Chassahowitzka River Campground Boat Launch is a great place to see manatees and enjoy the river.

You can launch your kayak, swim around looking for manatees or just relax and enjoy the scenery. The boat launch is located at the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.

All you need is a swimsuit, snorkel, and fins (and maybe a wetsuit). A kayak can make the day more fun, but we didn’t end up using ours much. Check out my “what to bring” section of this article.

Chassahowitzka River Campground – BOAT LAUNCH

First, park and pay the parking fee inside the shop at the boat launch. It can vary depending on the season. We paid $5.00 and it was $10.00 at the campground across the street.

If the parking lot is full, there is another campground right across the street you can pay to park at.

Then you show that parking pass to the Chassahowitzka River Campground Security (if they are at the entrance in their golf cart that day), and they will let you unload your gear at the Chassahowitzka River Campground boat launch. Then drive back and park your car at the other campground.

You can launch a kayak from the other campground, but it is around a river bend and not directly in front of the spring.

So, if you are not planning to kayak make sure to go to the Chassahowitzka River Campground Boat Launch.

Your chances of finding Manatees can be better with a kayak but the spring is right in front of the Chassahowitzka River Campground Boat Launch – and as I previously stated, we never needed ours.

4. Nine Ways to Spot a Manatee

1. Look for a large, gray body. Manatees are typically around 10-12 feet long and weigh between 1,000-and 3,000 pounds. They look like giant brown potatoes in the water.
2. Keep an eye out for slow-moving animals. Manatees are very slow swimmers, so they’re not likely to zip past you in a hurry.
3. Keep an eye out for snouts sticking up above the water surface. Manatees often come up for air every 20 minutes or less.  This is how I usually spot them.
4. Manatees often swim close to the shoreline.
5. Be on the lookout for groups of manatees – they often travel together in herds. It is common to see a mother and calf together.
6. You may also see large swirls or streaks in the water where a manatee has just submerged back under the water
7. The best time of year to find manatees is approximately from December to February. They are cold-sensitive animals and travel into Florida’s always 72 degrees spring-fed rivers to warm up in the winter months. The colder the day, the more you will find warming up in our FL Springs.
8. Weekdays are better -when the rivers are less crowded. However, I’ve seen plenty on the weekends too! The earlier you go can the better, but I’m not a morning person so I have better success mid-day and late afternoon.
9. Ask everyone that passes by you on the river if they have seen any – this is the #1 way I find them!

5. Four Important Tips to Swim with Manatees in FL

1. Manatees can be found in Florida springs when the weather gets cold (the colder the better). Usually, December to February.
2. Weekdays are better than weekends to spot a manatee, when there are less people on the river.
3. Manatees are endangered species protected by federal law, and even more protected by the locals!
4. Remember to give manatees plenty of space, and never harass or feed them. They are wild animals and not there for anyone’s entertainment.
5. You are not allowed to touch, follow, or chase a manatee.
6. You don’t need to touch a manatee to have a thrilling manatee snorkeling experience. Honestly just swimming near one is a “bucket list” adventure.

6. What to Bring When You Swim with Manatees

1. Swimsuit & a change of clothes
2. Mask, snorkel, and fins — or water goggles and water shoes.
3. A wetsuit, if you don’t like cold water. I hate the cold, but I forgot mine and was fine. I was too excited by the manatees to care. The water is always 72 degrees in the springs. You can usually rent wetsuits from any scuba dive shop in the area.
4. Anti-fog gel for the snorkel mask. My favorite is Spit Gel and you can get it on Amazon.
5. Bonine if you get motion sick, my husband gets motion sick on a kayak.
6. Snacks or lunch 
7. GoPro or a waterproof phone for photos and videos
8. Rental kayak. The campground rents them for $35.00 a day. You need to book in advance! During winter manatee season (especially on the weekends) it can be hard to find a rental kayak.
9. Drybag for wallets, phones, and car keys

7. Twelve Manatee Facts You Don’t Know!

1. Unlike our eyelids – manatee eyelids are circular and open and close like a camera lens.
2. Manatees like drinking fresh water from hoses. In the FL Keys, you can find them hanging around boat docks hoping for a drink!
3. Just like kids, Manatees body surf in the waves for fun!
4. They are so slow that algae and barnacles attach and grow on their backs.
5. They sleep upside down! For up to 12 hours a day.
6. Manatees can live up to 40 years old in the wild.
7. They eat a 10^th of their body weight in seagrass every day. This is where their “Sea Cow” nickname comes from.
8. They replace their teeth throughout their entire life, I’m guessing it’s from eating so much seagrass every day.
9. They reproduce every 2-5 years and nurse their young from a nipple found in their “arm-pit”, where their front flipper meets their body. 
10. Manatees are descended from Dugongs, which have forked tails like a dolphin. They still live in the Indian Ocean.
11. Even the Amazon River has manatees, but little is known about this species.
12. There is also a crazy tale floating around that Christopher Columbus mistook manatees for mermaids because of their tails – truth or urban legend? You decide.

A Few Last Thoughts

The videos are located on my Instagram and TikTok accounts @reesehwanderwild or #reesehwandwild.

If you love animals, swimming with Florida manatees is something you should add to your bucket list.

Florida manatees are endangered and every effort to raise awareness about them is critical to their survival.

Homosassa, Florida is a fantastic spot to swim and snorkel with manatees, away from the tourist crowds.

If you are looking for another Florida adventure, think about a shark snorkel! Not ready to snorkel? Here are 3 ways to find sharks teeth in Venice, FL.