Manatee Springs

In the winters, I teach my Level 1 Freediver course in the Florida springs, where manatees frequently join our class (uninvited, but very much welcome).

They're good coaches for my students. We even had one come up to our line once and say, "Like this, watch me!" and then execute a perfect entry and streamlined dive down the line.

They are incredibly friendly and social mammals. On one visit to the springs, my pregnant wife with me, a mother manatee with her pup brushed up against my wife as if to say, "You're going to be a great mama!"

And sometimes, they chew on my dive line, haa!

Caring For Manatees

The springs are their homes in the winter. They go there to warm up. It's our job to be good guests, so we practice what's called passive observation. We never swim directly at them, corner them (even accidentally), and we're always mindful of our surroundings so we don't accidentally bump into them.

That said, sometimes they hug you.

Perhaps my favorite manatee story happened when a friend was visiting from New York City, and learning to snorkel for the first time as an adult. He was putting forth a good effort, I suspect the manatee knew this as well, cause it was swimming up beside him, as if for moral support.

I gestured to him pointing to his right. He glanced, and vocalized, "Mmmm," as if to say, "Yeah, that's beautiful."

If he saw the manatee that close to him, that could not have been his response.

I grabbed his head and gently turned it for him...

"Whaaaaaa!!!!!" he echoed through his snorkel in pure amazement when he noticed the refrigerator-sized manatee gliding effortlessly beside him.

The Best Entry Level Wildlife Encounter

Freediving with manatees is one of the best entry level aquatic adventures. They're friendly creatures, majestic, mammals like us, and we know how to interact with them safely.

And, they're expert freedivers.