Manatees

Back in 2006, we had discussed getting a group together and going to visit with the manatees in Crystal River, FL. I had just learned what they were a few months earlier and was really interested in seeing them up close We had been talking about the trip for a couple months and a guy at work was saying we were wasting our time going to see those things. I disagreed and set up a group trip to go down there in November. The group started with about 10 people and as time drew close and people needed to make reservations and pay money, as always, the numbers started to drop. In the end, it ended up only being two of us making the trip. Dive Buddy Dee and I were the only two. We made the trip and when I finally got to meet the manatees face to face, I fell in love with them. They are awesome animals and the fact that they are listed as "Endangered" every one's help is need to keep the manatee numbers up. West Indian manatees in the United States are protected under federal law by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which make it illegal to harass, hunt, capture, or kill any marine mammal. West Indian manatees are also protected by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978 which states: "It is unlawful for any person, at any time, intentionally or negligently, to annoy, molest, harass, or disturb any manatee." Anyone convicted of violating Florida's state law faces a possible maximum fine of $500 and/or imprisonment for up to 60 days. Conviction on the federal level is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and/or one year in prison.

During our yearly trip back to Crystal River last week to see the manatees again, a bunch of us decided to help out in any small way we could. One thing we did was pay for the PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors) Manatee Awareness Specialty that was offered by the shop we booked our manatee visit through to certified divers. Some of the money goes to PADI for processing, but some also go to the Manatee protection programs. Another way a couple of us decided to help was to adopt a manatee through Savethemanatee.org. They have manatees from 3 different areas in Florida to choose from along with pictures and bio of "your" manatee. When you adopt, you get an adoption package with a lot of other info in it. My package hasn't arrived yet, but I will post about it when it does. I adopted a younger manatee in Blue Springs State Park named, "Georgia." (of course) I hope to make a trip to Blue Springs during the Winter and see Georgia with my own eyes. That will be cool. I also have a friend that has also adopted "Lenny" in Blue Springs and M2, one of my dive buddies, adopted "Deep Dent." It's a great way to help out. You can even give an adoption as a gift. How many people do you can say the gave or received a manatee as a gift? And for as little as 25 dollars, it's also an inexpensive gift.

If you are interested in learning more about manatees or would like to help, just visit http://www.savethemanatee.org/.

Dive Trip 15-17 Feb 08

Our dive "club" went on a weekend trip to Florida for some diving and a manatee visit. Our numbers ranged fomr 6 on some dives to 12 on others during the weekend.

Friday, 15 Feb, we left middle GA around 0900 and headed down to Ginnie Springs. After stopping for gas, food, etc, we arrived at Ginnie around 1400. Being a Friday, the place was almost deserted. We got in two dives that afternoon. Both dives for me and my buddy were in the main Ginnie Spring. He was on dives # 2 and 3 after certification, so we were working on his comfort and skills. He did go in the ballroom and down to the grate on both dives, so I guess he's more comfortable than most would be on numbers 2 and 3. Our second dive, we were the only two in the Spring. Some of our group dove the Devil's side for their second. There were, of course, cavers on that side, but again, not many. After breaking down the gear, we drove to Crystal River, where we would be for the next two days. We had a great meal, as always, at Crackers in Crystal River that evening.

Saturday, we booked a drift dive down Rainbow River (KP Hole State Park) with American Pro Diving Center. The drift was awesome for the first 30 minutes or so. Long nosed gar, bubbling sand, soft-shelled turtles, and some serious outflow from "The Blow Hole".. Beautiful dive. Unfortunately, a group that was supposed to be behind us, overtook us and completely destroyed the viz for us. If it had silt on it, they went through it, kicked it or stood on it. They were wearing scuba equipment, but they were far from being "divers." One guy even lost complete buoyancy and landed on top of one of my guys and planted his face in the sandy bottom. How this group ever got a c-card is beyond me. We let them get ahead of us and tried to enjoy the rest of the dive with less-than-pristine viz. It was a great dive if you can forget the non-divers wearing scuba gear. The picture is from the Rainbow River dive. I crawled into the cavern and snapped the pic of my group on the outside. Saturday night, another good meal at Fat Boy's BBQ.

Sunday morning, we arrived at Bird's Underwater at 0615 for our morning with the manatees. After trying to find manatees at three spots to stay away from the crowds, they had to head to the main spring where there were no less than 12 other boats loaded with people. It was stupid crowded there. There were manatees to be seen, but not in great numbers and with the amount of people around, not all of them were playful this time. But, everyone in the group still got to see at least one manatee and pet them, especially those that had never seen one before, so it was well worth it. After the manatee visit, we went to a place called "Three Sisters" and some of the people on our boat snorkeled in that area while others of us rested in the sunlight. After a pretty good lunch at "The Ale House" we said goodbye to Crystal River and were on our way back to GA around 1500 and made it back just in time for some big storm to hit our area.
All in all it was a great time and we had a group of 14 people go on this trip. So, I consider it a great success.

Lessons Learned on this trip:
1. Go to Ginnie (or any dive site) during the week. You have it all to yourself.
2. Do not book manatee visits on President's Day weekend. 2 reasons: It could already be getting warm and the manatee numbers start to dwindle and it is also the busiest weekend of the year for Crystal River, which we did not know when we scheduled it.
3. In Crystal River, whether you dive with American Pro or Bird's Underwater, you can't go wrong. Both are class acts that respect the area, the environment, and the manatees.