• You don’t scuba dive with manatees, you snorkel. The water is shallow and they don’t like the sound of bubbles.

• It used to be you could only see manatees between the months of October through February. However, as the manatee population has grown, it has become more of a year-round activity. Nevertheless, you will see the most manatees during colder months.

• The manatees are protected by several regulations that are strictly enforced. Listen to your tour operator’s briefings and follow their instructions religiously.

• There are many manatee tour operators to choose from. If you do not already have one picked out, common sense dictates sticking with one that is highly rated on Google and Yelp!

Here is Google’s listing of operators: