Meet the Crew

Captain Jake has long been infatuated with manatees and wildlife in general. Not a native to Florida, Jake grew up in a military family which moved a lot during his childhood but ended up settling in Missouri. Often moving as a youth led to dreams of adventure and a restless spirit that demands to explore. Unbeknownst to him the stage was set for his future profession at nine years old when he and his siblings took a trip to Florida to visit with family over Christmas. That was when Jake went on his first manatee tour and got his first opportunity to be blown away by the magnificent Florida manatee! It was a cold winter day, and Jake still can recall his surprise at

not only how massive these animals were, but also by how gentle, silent, and majestic they were. Usually kiddos are the first to get cold and want to get out of the water on mornings like this, but Jake stayed in this new world until the last possible second, trying to soak up all of the manatee experience that he could.