I Swam with 100 Manatees!

On this adventure Mark is heading back to Florida to attempt to find a legendary spring that is said to be one of the last strongholds of the Florida manatee. Every winter hundreds of manatees make their way to Crystal River to escape the cold but with their numbers in decline will the team be able to swim in this one of kind manatee paradise? Or, has the chance to swim with over 100 manatees become a thing of the past?

Get ready, this adventure is taking us underwater and into the realm of the most beloved creature in the state of Florida. It’s manatee time!

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Please do not attempt to recreate what you’ve seen in this video. The locations in this video are open to the public but please respect posted signs, rules and guidance from local wildlife officials when visiting.

For clarity here are some guidelines if you do enter the water with manatee in Crystal River, please refrain from:
Chasing or pursuing a manatee. (Note, when we entered the spring we "followed" general flow of traffic, not specific manatees. There is only one entry to the spring and it's nearly impossible to swim in without seeing manatee coming and going. If a particular manatee moves away from you, just wait for a bit, more will likely show up soon enough)
Disturbing or touching a resting* or feeding manatee
Diving from the surface onto a resting or feeding manatee
Cornering or surrounding a manatee
Riding, holding, grabbing, pinching, poking, prodding, or stabbing a manatee with anything, including your hands and feet. (Rangers recommend only passive touching with one open hand)
Standing on a manatee
Separating a mother and calf or separating a group of manatees
Giving manatee(s) anything to eat or drink
Actively initiating contact with belted/tagged manatee(s)
Interfering with rescue and research activities

The Brave Wilderness hosts and crew are professionally trained and routinely receive assistance from wildlife experts, guides, and safety personnel when filming to  ensure the safety of our crew and all wildlife. No animals were harmed or removed from their natural habitat while making this video.

[green]

Oh my Gosh, when mark started rubbing its belly I lost it. So freakin adorable.

That one told all the buddies to come over and get belly rubs.

[catospanky]

Thanks for drawing attention to the needs of these endangered animals and for sharing your love of nature.

[sarahsmith]

My cousin’s mom lives on a canal in Florida and when they sprayed the hose into the water a manatee would immediately appear and drink and play in the stream. So cute

[bubsy_love]

Manatees being my favorite animals, I've never clicked on a video so fast

[beluga]

Never seen these watery guys before! Beautiful creatures!

[thebat]

These Manatee's are so beautiful and sweet. We must protect them from suffering the same fate as they relatives, the Stellar's Sea Cow. These angelic babies are worth it.

[mialazarine]

Manatees are so sweet creatures they should always be protected

[superbrooket]

It's sad that a lot of people don't understand how we as humans are hurting these animals. They are just gentle giants. This video had me to tears just seeing what all these manatees are having to go through because of us humans.

[thedogfather]

I was surfing with a manatee today! it was incredibly friendly. it would swim up to each surfer one by one and say hello. it was an experience of a life time and changed my life.

[YOLOMCM]

The first time I've heard of Manatees was back in 2nd grade and always thought of them as such a unique and adorable creature. I'm now a junior in high school and more and more I have seen stories about these loveable giants dying from natural causes and from humans...It's so sad to see what's happening to them and I severely want to do my part to help these animals not disappear forever.

[alissaharder]

The manatee that made the call was probably like: “this one is good at scratching. Good deep scratches and pets.”

[anonview]

I am so jealous yet also grateful that you shared this experience with us. It's been hard to protect our marine and aquatic species here too (Philippines). Lots of trash still end up in the water.

[ferociouscat]

They look like curious little kids…. So adorable 🥰

[Kealiile]

They are so cute and sweet! I love how they pretty much shook your hand

[mychaellee]

What a fun episode. Thanks for representing us in such a respectful fashion, we're going to need all the help we can get.

[shawneldridge]

Manatees are gentle and they're like the coolest of all. How can you not enjoy seeing these precious and awesome animals.

[josephadelhardt]

We can't lose hope in saving these magnificent animals.

I personally want to do everything I can to help keep their waters clean, thrive on healthy food grounds, and always swim slow on a boat to visit their homes.

[kenyagary]

I’ve swam in Crystal River two times now, and have been able to find manatees both times! My absolute favorite experience I’ve ever done, cannot wait to go back!

[mind_frame]

Wonderful views and scenes. I hope the manatees live long and healthy😄

[JulieAnn]

That one manatee was telling the others about the belly rubs, for sure! Shout out to Ace on the great editing too, congrats on joining the BW team! +=