Day 2 — Morning: Swimming with the Manatees!
We woke up VERY EARLY for the main reason we travelled to Florida — to swim with the Manatees! I decided to pick a tour company that had the earliest start to beat the crowds, which was River Ventures, and they were a great tour operator to boot.
We arrived at around 6AM, and after a hot chocolate and muffins, and a introductory video, they fitted us into our wetsuits. I was surprised and glad that they managed to find one that fit me! From past experience, I’ve been given poorly fitted wetsuits and ended up needing to leave the water after 15 mins when I start shivering. We had brought our own snorkels and fins as I’d ended up with ill-fitting snorkels which took in water every few minutes in previous tours.
So with well-fitting wetsuits and snorkels, we arrived at the Three Sisters Springs — where the waters are a constant 22 degrees (72F) all year round. The manatees come here during the winters because they like being warm, like me!
Bright and early ... with mist!
We were the first people to arrive, bright and early! The air was chilly, however when I stuck my toes into the water, it felt warm! And then the manatees appeared …
A manatee approaches ...
We saw one that was covered in barnacles — apparently the fresh arrivals (from sea) have barnacles on them, which slowly drop off over time in fresh water.
A barnacled manatee ... a new arrival
Mummy and baby manatee
They were completely trusting, friendly, docile and gentle — and came up to us to be scratched! Here’s one grabbing onto Muffin’s legs so he could get a tubby rub without floating away …
Coming in for a scratch
Grabbing on for a tummy rub
I’ve no idea how these gentle creatures manage to survive out in the wild …
Time passes quickly when you’re having fun … and we soon had to leave :(
I swam with the manatees!
We returned to the hotel, showered, checked out and decided to look around Crystal River for brunch.
We found a village-y looking street and a cosy looking cafe called The Highlander Cafe and decided to eat there.
As you can see, it was quite relaxing to eat outside on the porch …
Afternoon: Sponges at Tarpon Springs
We decided to swing by Tarpon Springs to check out this little town that was settled by Greek immigrants who moved to the area to dive for sponges.
It was a cool little town with a Mediterranean feel to it, with lots of sponge shops, Greek restaurants, cafes and bakeries.
Muffin bought a sponge for bathing, and then we popped into a bakery (Hellas’ Bakery) for some Greek coffee and baklava.
After our afternoon tea, we started heading off towards Siesta Keys via the Sunshine Skyway Bridge — which was pretty exciting as this was the first time we’d seen the coast since we’d arrived.
On the Sunshine Skyway
We managed to check in right on time, and this lovely room at The Capri at Siesta was our home for the next three nights.
We decided to check out the beach just as the sun was setting …
Sunset at Siesta Keys
For dinner, we drove toward Ocean Boulevard to check out the possibilities … and settled on The Hub Baja Grill.