Blue springs florida to see manatee

[Slab]

Water is pretty choppy for a good pic of the manatee. But see if you can find the big honking gator.

[DRPEPPER]

Seeing a mantee is on my bucket list.
DP

[flycaster]

That is one massive beast.

["G"]

Thats a huge gator

[SeaRay]

The local fishermen don't hold a lot of love for the Manatees it seems. My buddy, who lives off the St John's river in DeLand, has so many no wake zones around him it takes 30 or 45 minutes to go a couple of miles. Some of the guides have been fined numerous times trying to get their clients to a spot without taking all day. Kind of a Catch 22. I understand the problem with the props hitting and injuring or killling the Manatees, but it is frustrating to go 3 miles at idle speed.
We have watched them in the clear springs and they are cool to see.

[Cane Pole]

I usta run the St Johns River from DeBary, Fl to Lake George. There were a lot of Manatee in the Astor, Florida area when I lived in Lake Mary. The Astor area used to be one of the manatee mating area, but that was 40 years ago.

Sea cows. Love them.

[Phantom309]

I mated one once = really hard to hold down ! ! ! !

[skeetbum]

That was close to my old stomping grounds. It was a big thing for the wife, kids and I to climb into the 14' Alumacraft with a '56 - 5 1/2 horse Johnson and making our way from the Whitehair bridge to Blue Springs to visit with the Manatees. They were both single digit in age, and it made for a fun Saturday. First time I went there was about '73 or '74 and you were able to swim among them. Jacques Cousteau did a show about the Manatees there too. Swim with them now and the huggers go nuts. That's a good part of the Florida experience. Wave to my Daughter when you leave, her house is on the right.

[Crappie Reaper]

Is that some kind of fish?

[SeaRay]

It is a mamal I think. Sorta like a sea lion or seal but very docile and big too.