FAQ

Absolutely! We run tours in the rain or shine, and find that a little bit of rain actually helps deter recreational people, often giving us an even greater likelihood of a private experience with the manatees. If there are heavy winds or lightning–dangerous weather–then we may wait out the weather, or give a full refund if we are unable to go out. Manatees are awesome, but not worth risking dangerous weather patterns.

Absolutely! We are lucky enough to be able to run successful manatee swim tours year-round. We have a resident population of manatees of likely three to four dozen wild manatees that stay in our bay year-round. During the warmer months, the manatees do tend to spread out more, and we may find them anywhere in our 600-acre bay.

If you are looking for sheer numbers of manatees then it is a direct correlation, the colder that the weather has been, the more manatees aggregate in our Bay to stay warm around the numerous freshwater springs throughout King’s Bay. Typically during “Manatee Season” (Nov 15-March 31) we have the most manatees that we will have over the course of the year. However, the manatees move with the weather patterns and if we experience a stretch of warm weather, many will head back out into the Gulf, even during the winter. Since we do have the resident population of manatees, some of our favorite times to swim with them are when travelers are not as prevalent, such as the months of May and September and October!

You certainly do not need to be a habitual diver or Michael Phelps to have a great time snorkeling with manatees. We definitely recommend being comfortable and able to stay calm while having your face in the water. We teach many novice snorkelers how to snorkel and get up-close to wildlife without disturbing the animals. We provide flotation devices and have an in-water guide dedicated to helping the less comfortable guests get acclimated to our waterways. Even so, basic swimming ability is highly recommended to keep the protected wildlife and guests alike safe.

Only dangerously cute! Manatees have no natural aggression, and honestly, any pet that you have ever owned is more likely to hurt you than a manatee. We have never seen aggressive behavior towards swimmers, not even with mothers and calves!

King’s Bay stays right around 72° Fahrenheit (22°C) year-round, due to the magnitude of Freshwater Springs around the bay that produce hundreds of millions of gallons daily. For some, this is quite comfortable; for others, it is pretty cold. To help keep guests warm in the water, we provide wetsuits which makes guests stay warm over prolonged periods. If it is a cold day, we also provide hot chocolate to help take the edge off after getting out of the water!