We went during the "off" season when there were very few manatees so we were not sure if we would have a "close encounter". We saw a few mantee from the boat but were in the water with only two - a baby and mother. To say this was a wonderful experience does not do it justice. The guide was... More

What an incredible experience! Would recommend this tour to anyone. Very friendly, enthusiastic, knowledegable staff. Capt. Mike is very passionate about these incredible creatures and very familiar with the areas flora and fauna. Worth the trip! More

We chose the 6:15 tour and drove 3 hours cross coast from where we were staying. It was worth every minute. From the minute we arrived we experienced nothing but professional, fun, knowledeable individuals. Kim was great and really set the tone for the day. We had the privilige of having Captain Sean as our guide for the morning. He... More

We decided to travel to Crystal River the day before our early morning tour and stayed in a hotel in the area. It was still hard to drag ourselves out of bed and to get to the tour centre in time for the departure. You start the day with some time in the breakfast nook and gift shop with an... More

We chose the 6:15am tour, so we drove down from Orlando the previous night, and stayed in the Holiday In. From the moment, I first booked the tour over the phone till we left the premises, we encountered nothing but professionalism, friendliness, and a wealth of information. The video shown prior to the tour was very informative, then after this... More

We were greeted at River Ventures by smiling Kim, who offered us coffee/hot chocolate and pastries. We were then taken into a small room to watch and informative video covering rules and behaviour for the Manatee interaction. We were then fitted with our wetsuits and climbed into a waiting Van that took us to the boat launch,where we met our... More

We had booked an Airboat ride with these folks, on our last day in the area. Everything was going well until the boat had some technical issues, while we were in the water about 30 minutes into the trip. It happens. They could NOT have handled it any better. They were able to quickly get us off of the disabled... More

Gave our 8 yr. old daughter the choice to swim with manatees or Busch Gardens. She chose manatees and we were not disppointed. We had a fun time with our Captain, "Glenn" and saw several manatees in the river before heading further up to "Crystal River" in the state park. The water here is literally crystal clear and very enjoyable... More

Everyone visitng central Florida should do this. Forget Disney, Universal, even Seaworld! Swimming with Manatees was the best thing I have ever done in Florida. River Ventures are an extremely professional company running swimming tours. We picked the 6.15 a.m. tour. You get a sensible safety/conservation/instructional video briefing and are provided with good quality wetsuits and snorkel masks. Our Captain,... More