Manatee Scientist (2010)

rolling with the manatees: short manatee movie

These wild mammals from Crystal River, north of Tampa, come to the warm, spring-fed rivers of South Florida to escape the cold water of winter.  I swam with them for three hours, waiting until they chose to make contact.  They touched my mask with their curious snouts, then rolled over playfully, slowly, and when they rolled, I rolled too.  They blinked gray wise manatee eyes. I blinked at them.  Did they see me blinking?  I'm sure they did.

For a great dive operation in the Crystal River area, contact Fun2Scuba, and tell Captain Joe I sent you