100% would do this again! The manatee sized shout out goes to Austin and Rodney, they were our tour guides. Rodney was "drivin the boat" with style & class, while also being our handy dandy pool noodle handler. Austin was the man, he told us all about the manatees and marinated wet suits. I guess manatees are actually buff like body builders, ultimate sleeper build. Taking us to the hot spots we were finally in the water with what looked like giant turds; gentle turds. They kinda just live life, eating and sleeping while you stare at their muscles and watch them breathe. The amount of mental discipline you have to have is , you want to scream and squirm but can't. It might startle the manatees, the struggle was real. It was nice to get out with kind, genuine people, we were vibing. So all in all get ur butt over here and make some memories you'll never forget. Just do it! read more

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Captain Taylor and Ryan were great out on the water. We really enjoyed our manatee tour trip on Crystal River. Thank you both for all your guidance out on the water. we had a great family trip. Thank you both! Happy New Year 2026 read more

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We did the Americana package which included rainbow river scuba dive, manatee snorkel, and manatee springs dive. Rainbow river had a lot of wildlife under water (swimming birds, turtles, big and little fish) as well as a small cavern that was pretty cool. Snorkeling with manatees is something you have to try at least once in your life, it's awesome. We went in the off season but still were up close and personal with one in the clear water. Our guide on both trips was Austin. He was very friendly and helpful. He made sure everybody was safe and that the tourists had a good experience but without bothering the manatee. Our manatee spring dive was canceled because our dive master was sick, but they have us a partial refund which we used to dive at devil's den instead. read more

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Great dive center! Booked a scuba dive package and it was perfect. Eric gave excellent customer service in booking and confirming the dives as a was a single diver. Orville the dive master was very professional. His dive briefs stressed safety along with a bit of history at each of the 4 dive sites. He was patient with all divers before and after the dives never feeling rushed. I will be using American Pro Diving again and highly recommend them. read more

So much fun! Swim with the manatees at 3 sisters springs! Even better get certified right here in the indoor pool! A great gift shop full of all kinds of cool diving items! The guys here are awesome and help in every way needed! The kids Recreation Express bring here love it and get an experience of a lifetime! Come check it out or if you have a group who needs to charter, call Recreation Express of Tampa 8135033792. for great rates. Schools, church groups and anyone wanting to experience the thrill & Crystal River! read more

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We had an amazing experience with the manatees! My husband and I took our three kiddos (ages 13, 11, and 8) and we all had a blast. (We visited in May) We arrived at 8am for an early morning tour (best time to go), got our equipment, watched an instructional video, and drove a few blocks to the port. We got out of our car and hopped on the boat. Captain Coty and Captain Tom did a great job of not only finding manatees, but Coty also taught us about these cool creatures along the way and made sure to take great pictures! We intersected with probably 8-10 different manatees and they were incredibly gentle and fun to be around. The photo slide show at the end is definitely worth the purchase - they caught some great underwater shots of us with the animals :) Overall it was a memorable experience that we would all love to do again some time! read more

American Pro Diving Center - soooo close!!! - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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My family and I did a Manatee Swim Tour today to celebrate part of my daughter's 20th Birthday. I cannot say enough about this establishment and team. From my initial phone call with Abby who took the time to explain packages, what was included and suggest how to structure our trip , to our final thoughts as we left the store at day's end, our encounter was mantastic (that's a new word combing manatee and fantastic). As planned we watched a short video in the shop then met the boat at the marina and hit the water. First stop was uneventful when the 600 pound manatee was ninja-like and managed to scramble away from the our inquisitive advances. Second stop was a pure win. Our group met a few mature manatees including a large bull, two cows and the trophy, a calf. Our Dive Master for the day was Austin who was super interactive and not only handled the dive plans and onboard instruction but also was our in water guide. He led us to the best viewing points, redirected us in the water and all the while filmed the pro video of us. After several hours with our new friends we had to call it a day and Captain Bruce brought us safely back to the dock. Rental gear process was flawless for those in my group that needed it. This dive shop is a great launch for the adventures and is very well stocked with all the gear you could need, lots of trinkets for folks of all ages and a gorgeous classroom to accompany their indoor pool. The entire facility is well-stocked, very organized and very clean. I've driven by for years but never knew. This is an awesome operation and I would highly recommend this team for all your Citrus County dive/swim fun. I'd love to do a Rainbow River trip with these guys too. They offer everything from manatee finger puppets to Nitrox fills, training and top of the line gear sales. As the owner of Fat Guy Scuba Supply, I was even happy to see gear available for sale and purchase for fat guys readily available. Great job by all and we look forward to seeing you again! No charge for the new key phrase "Man-tastic!" read more

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Good dive shop for their scuba diving tours! It was a fun day with them and everything was well organized! We arrived early to fill out paperwork and pick up rental gear. All rental gear was in good condition- no rips, tears, or worn out equipment. They also made sure all gear was clean and properly sanitized. After fitting, they provided instructions on how to get to the dive site and provided maps too. Upon arrival we quickly docked on the pontoon boat and made our way up the river. Along the way, our guides made sure to point out several of the sights and fish to look out for. They even provided some fun facts and bird spotting along the way too. Overall, American Pro Diving was organized and provided a good dive trip experience in Crystal River. read more

American Pro Diving Center - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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I saw the manatees. I swam right next one. They're massive. The store's nice. Captain John was awesome! I would recommend. read more

American Pro Diving Center - This is a manatee. - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

0 distance towards mannatees Warm water in winter Kind stuff Really worthy and unforgettable 35$ for the pro videos in a flash driver. lmao, I bought it. read more

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Got some repair parts for my octopus here and have gone with these guys on several of their manatee trips from both locations over the years. In addition to manatee tours they are a full five shop with dive instructions and excursions. Everyone that I've interacted with here from the phone reservation person to Captain Cory have always been very professional and pay attention to detail. Highly recommended! read more

American Pro Diving Center - My spirit animal :-) - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Everyone at American Pro Center was so nice. Stephanie took our reservation and she was accommodating to a member of our party who was a last minute add on. Everyone of the staff were helpful, knowledgeable, and very sweet. Austin was our guide along with Nathaniel who was our captain. Austin was very patient and an overall, good, guide and Nathaniel was a wise-cracking but experienced Captain who is very passionate about the well-being of the manatees. We saw so many manatees (April 2021). They are huge and pretty docile. This was such a wonderful experience with my family. read more

American Pro Diving Center - Going to swim with manatees! :-) - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Great value for the price. Knowledgeable young men took us out (sorry I forgot their names). They put up a drone so we weren't searching all over for the Manatees. Followed proper manatee safety protocols. Nice little shop back at dock read more

Highly recommend this business! We did a last-minute Manetee swimming adventure for my daughter's 15th! Captian John and Bruce, where our guides for our 3 hour trip and they did amazing. They made sure everyone got to see the manetees and guided us through the experience with such positive attitudes and great leadership. We even got to see a pod of playful dolphins and a few Bald-Eagles. read more

Highly recommend this business! We did a last-minute Manetee swimming adventure for my daughter's 15th! Captian John and Bruce, where our guides for our 3 hour trip and they did amazing. They made sure everyone got to see the manetees and guided us through the experience with such positive attitudes and great leadership. We even got to see a pod of playful dolphins and a few Bald-Eagles. read more

American Pro Diving Center - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

I would give this place 6 stars if I could.... I was on vacation with my wife (a non-diver) in Orlando and was looking for a spot to get a dive in for the day. After calling Ginnie Springs and basically being told that they didn't accommodate individual divers, I called APDC and signed up for their Rainbow River dive. It turns out that I was the only diver on their trip today -- but instead of canceling the trip, they gave me the option of hiring a Divemaster as a buddy, which worked great. Captain Tom and John (my instructor "buddy") were awesome. This was the most "frictionless" dive trip I have been on in a long time -- everything from acquiring my rental gear to getting to the dive site to the dive itself was professional and first rate. Rainbow River is an incredible drift dive -- I will be back. THESE GUYS ARE THE MODEL FOR HOW TO RUN A PROFESSIONAL DIVE SHOP / TOURING OPERATION Several area operations (re: Ginnie Springs) should take some lessons from APDC. They know how to take care of their customers and go out of their way to accommodate the traveling diver. Highly recommended. read more

American Pro Diving Center - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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Austin and Rodney were excellent instructors we loved the tour and the instructors they were funny and full of fun made the experience amazing. I would recommend this to anyone that wants an adventure and wants to try something new. I am normally very scared of waters in Florida they made me feel very comfortable in the water and for the whole experience. read more

Did the manatee snorkel. What a wonderful crew and fantastic experience. Loved every moment! T read more

American Pro Diving Center - Baby nursing from mom - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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John and Bruce were great! We were last minute arrivals and chose not to snorkel however they made sure we also saw many many manatees. It was nice to be included with everyone onboard. If you want to see manatees and are looking for a snorkel tour these folks are professionals! Thank you! read more

Manatee snorkel and Rainbow River dive, both highly recommended. Great service. Look forward doing more diving with them.

Excellent service and very helpful. I always stop in when I am in town and they never disappoint.

Going to Disney World wasn't the highlight of my Florida trip - swimming with manatees was!! (1.5 hour drive from Orlando) American Pro Diving Center not only had better deals on Groupon, but all the staff members were friendly, helpful, and had a sense of humor! All the other more expensive companies that advertise swimming with manatees literally go to the same exact spot as this one does. We arrived early for our 7am tour, signed in, suited up in wetsuits, watched a quick video on manatee do's and dont's, followed the staff member in our own car down to the dock, park, pay for parking in cash only ($5), board boat, slowly make your way to the manatee area, get out and ENJOY THE BEST TIME OF YOUR LIFE! The video we watched while in the store made me think that there would be thousands of manatees everywhere and it'd only be our group. Wrong! It was actually quite the opposite at the time that we went. The swimming area was way smaller than what I expected BUT we still had sooooooooo much fun and did see a lot of manatees! They are so freaking adorable and I have developed a new love for them! The water wasn't as crystal clear as shown in the videos or pictures at the time of our trip. It may have been the time we went, or people kicking up dirt, etc to make the water all murky. Our tour guide was in the water with us with a video camera to record us and would call us over whenever he spotted a manatee. You're allowed to bring your own camera! There were 2 guides total, one in the water with us and another that stayed on the boat, so you can go up on the boat whenever you feel like it. We spent about 3 hours in the water with a few other manatee-swimming-groups, but eventually it was only our group of about 10! I definitely recommend being experienced at swimming and/or treading water because there isn't much to stand on or hold on to. The guides do allow you to use the life jacket as a flotation device if you need it. The video and tour guides emphasize swimming and talking quietly so you don't scare away the manatees! We went in February, so the weather was 38°F!! Fortunately, the water was warmer. I think our guide said it was 70° or so? When I first jumped in, I did get that first initial shock, but went away quickly while I swam to find some manatees! If you go around Winter, don't forget to pack a towel and warm clothes when you get out of the water! Our guides had hot chocolate waiting for us when we got out! Our group returned to the store after our excursion to watch the video our guide recorded. If you like it, you can buy it! The store is also filled with tons of manatee related souvenirs which I went overboard with because I had such a great time! read more

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Manatee hugs!!! What an incredible experience we had with this dive company and snorkeling with the manatees?! A friend and I had just been scuba certified in Texas and came across American Pro Diving company when looking up trips for March. When I saw they had the opportunity to snorkel with manatees, we knew what trip we were taking! After safety briefings, the crew took us out to find some manatees. They definitely knew where they were going and what they were doing as we found many of them. These cuddle monsters would come right up to you and rub up against you. It was such a spectacular and educational experience that wouldn't be possible if it weren't for the passionate crew. They also took us diving and were very patient with us. As you can imagine, the opportunity for diving inland in Texas is few and far between. This was our first real dive and they made us feel incredibly comfortable in a small group environment. They also pointed out several things we wouldn't have noticed on our own. Whether you are a pro diver, or just starting out, I highly recommend doing multiple tours with American Pro Diving! read more

American Pro Diving Center - This faces tho! - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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This morning we had a group of 11 come for a manatee snorkel and it was AMAZING! We all enjoyed every minute of the tour and being in the water with the manatees. Thank you so much Captains Cody and Rodney. We cannot wait to come back and do it all over again! read more

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Swim with the manatees. What a great adventure. Thank you Captain's John and Ryan. They found us a great spot where we got in the water and were able to float among these beautiful "gentle giants". Captain John joined us in the water and filmed our adventure. He also shared facts about the life of a manatee. Among the several manatees we swam with, we were fortunate to see two mama's with their babies. Also, thanks to the people working inside the store, very nice. Don't forget to buy the recording and of course, book your trip. read more

Captains John and Bruce were top notch. Saw plenty of manatees as well as dolphins, tarpon and other fish. Very knowledgeable guys...will be coming back. read more

A great place to have fun learning and swimming with manatees! My son and I had a blast snorkeling with the " sea cow" and other large fish. Captain John was funny and very knowledgeable about all the marine life. I most definitely will be going back to do it again!! read more

This was a once in a lifetime experience! Captian John and geri were great! So friendly and knowledgeable. My kiddos loved it and the little shop has some super cute stuff too read more

Captain Tom and Rod were excellent guides and were very knowledgeable and able to answer a myriad manatee-related questions. They were conscientious about adhering to the regulations dealing with the Three Sisters Manatee Sanctuary and informing all visitors of them. Definitely include this on your "family bucket list" for things to Do & See in Florida. read more

Wonderful experience. The shop is easy to find with tons of parking. The staff is friendly and extremely helpful. Tom was a great tour guide and very knowledgeable, as was Jerry our dry captain. We did the Crystal River manatee snorkel and saw 9, including 2 babies. We definitely lucked out but wouldn't blame the shop if we didn't see as many or even any, as they can't control wild animals. It is shallow water and they provided pool noodles to help stay afloat and avoid kicking up sediment. Between some newbies and the manatees eating, visibility quickly decreased anyway. Still an amazing experience, highly recommend. We then added on the Rainbow River dive. Such a beautiful location and crystal clear water. The current makes for a slow, no energy expending dive. Tom was our Captain for this tour as well and he was great. Overall, a great experience with a great company. read more

Great afternoon with Captain John and our teenage girls to snorkel on Rainbow River! Lots of information about what to expect this time of year, and when we might want to come back to see manatees on another trip! Couldn't have been happier about how watchful he was while we were in the water, and it really made for a relaxing afternoon:) read more

My family and I had an amazing time. We had Captain John and Ryan and they were the sweetest. The manatees were a little difficult for them to find but at the end we found a lot and got to swim. I totally recommend to come out here and try it out! read more

I can not say enough nice things about my experience yesterday! I have not stopped thinking about all the fun I had, and I'm counting down the days until I can go again! First off, upon arrival, Melissa and Stephanie were such helpful, fun, and happy people to check in with! They made the experience stress free from the second I called requesting to book the tour! Stephanie was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable on the phone and told me everything to expect!! On the tour Captain Tom told us everything we needed to know! He was super helpful!! We had such an amazing experience in the water with the Manatee! We were able to get close enough to observe the manatees without disturbing them! You can tell Tom loves what he does for a living and also loves these big beautiful animals!!! If you're thinking about booking a tour- DO IT!! You won't regret it at all!! read more

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I cannot say enough good things about AmPro. Our original plan was to do a referral dive for our PADI certification. We had paperwork issues from the place back home and ended up redoing the confined water dives too. Cody and team went over and above to help us through the certification. Cody was very thorough and a far better instructor than what we received back home! I felt far more comfortable under Cody's instruction and thoroughly enjoyed the open water dives, especially Rainbow River. We spent a lot of time in the shop sorting through our issues with the place back home and got to know several of the employees. Tom is an Eagle Scout and was so encouraging to my son who is also in Boy Scouts. My son loved listening to his stories!! Melissa is very knowledgable about all the equipment and is very friendly. I would highly suggest to anyone looking for scuba equipment or certifications to go through AmPro! read more

Had a really great time doing the manatee swim with American pro diving center. Gerry and Austin were our crew and they were excellent. We saw a much of manatees including a friendly baby! I would definitely recommend you try this company out to see the manatees. read more

American Pro Diving Center - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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Buyer/renter beware. -Unsafe dangerous poorly maintained equipment resulting in a serious risk to my daughter's life. -Charged for extra dives and refills we did not sign up for. -Zero accountability taken by the shop for renting faulty equipment or resulting unnecessary risk and expenses -Defensive argumentative shop manager/staff with zero customer service skill. Do not rent equipment from these people or trust their shop for fair, professional or accountable customer service. Their negligence in maintaining their equipment resulted in it failing on my daughters at 75 feet into a cave dive which I had to rescue her from, barely making it back to the surface with any air. Though I reported it, no apology from the shop, no one contacted us to see what happened or make sure everything and everyone was ok afterwards. Three days later the "owner's daughter," finally called and defensively told me there was "nothing wrong with her equipment", followed by "we put it right back out there for other people to use" and "I'm sure you realize equipment fails sometimes", then implied the problem must have been that my daughter must not have known what she was doing "like we train OUR people to know and do" (ironic, given my daughter was certified two years earlier by their shop when it was apparently run by someone much more decent and professional) and then implied that I must not know what I was talking about (though I'm an advanced diver, my husband was a rescue diver and we've logged hundreds of dives), all of which she stated in an aggressive defensive tone, not once asking about my daughter's welfare, or even acknowledging our negative dangerous experience with them. I told her I'm very concerned about someone else renting that equipment and having a major life threatening or life ending accident because it's faulty- she talked over the top of me and said "It's your prerogative if you don't like what I'm saying or are unhappy. I'm sorry you don't like it." But not "I'm sorry we gave you that experience with us" or "yes, I can see why you might be concerned". She refused to acknowledge how what happened was actually dangerous, insisted on charging us for two equipment rentals still though we couldn't complete our first dive or go on the second one due to her shop's equipment failure, which also means the $132 we paid to Blue Grotto for entrance was just wasted, but at least she promised to refund the amount her shop overcharged us to begin with for an extra dive we didn't sign up for and an airfill we didn't need, though she is still trying to charge us for the air fill of my daughters equipment that was depleted by her equipment failure. Not Hyperbole- this actually happened. It was like attempting to have a rational conversation about serious matters with an emotionally immature egocentric two year old stomping her foot, or a petty middle school mean girl bully whose only appreciable skill is to yell louder when she doesn't want to hear something. So, acting like an absolutely crass, aggressively rude, money grubbing predatory cheap shop owner who is preying on tourist divers will not garner any further business from me or anyone I can hopefully save from encountering a similar fiasco, which is really quite sad as a few years prior to this my husband and I both got our advanced certification at that location with decent dive masters, my daughter was certified there and Ive already spent literally thousands on dives and renting and buying dive equipment from them in the past when they were a decent shop and run quite differently- ie- professionally. I will never again use their shop or services for absolutely anything and I recommend no one else does either. read more

This place is awesome. My family did the narcosis package where we got four days of diving and a manatee snorkle trip. First, the manatee snorkle: The manatee snorkle was pretty good. Theres only so much you can do when you're dealing with wild animals. This isn't sea world with trained manatees so you get what you get. Having said that, if you've never seen a manatee close up, you need to. It's impressive. We had captains Tom and Corey. They were both very helpful in getting everyone around and Tom did a great job of herding the people in the water and ensuring everyone got to see the manatees. Speaking of Tom, we had him as our guide for all of our dives all week long. He was awesome. He knew a great deal of info about all the sites we hit. None of these dives are that difficult, but Tom knows where some of the more fun things to see and play in that you'd miss if you didn't have that local background knowledge. For most of the week Tom had Scott with him as his co-guide. My kids aren't that experienced diving and Scott did a great job of keeping an eye out on them. His profession is in the water let me relax and enjoy the dive aisle more knowing Scott had an eye on the kids and I didnt have to hover over them. The dives themselves were awesome. I think favorite to least (in case you don't want to do them all) are: 1. Paradise Springs 2. Devil's Den 3. Blue Grotto 4. Rainbow River 5. Manatee Springs If you're interested in some Florida freshwater dives and don't come to these people, you're missing out! read more

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We booked a "swimming with the manatees" excursion which included pickup, breakfast, lunch, and drop off. Everyone was so helpful! They were great at helping to keep me calm when I turned around and a manatee was face to face with me. The floaty device made things more difficult for me so they let me go out the next time without one. We saw a few manatees and one even swan with us. Tom & Carlos were full of information and answered all of our questions. I'll definitely use them again if I make it back to Florida! read more

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Rude and unprofessional. Called in twice and was hung up and then brushed off the phone. I asked a question about availability and was told they had it and then was told they would call back after reviewing their calendar. Poor service and worse liars. Wouldn't trust them or give them a penny. Beware of these scam artists that don't understand how to run a business. read more

We found a Groupon and did some digging before purchasing it. This place is totally legit. The staff are all very kind and professional. The facility is very clean, has souvenirs for purchase, bathrooms to change in, offers wetsuit and diving equipment. It also has an indoor diving pool for training. We did a manatee tour in May and the weather was really bad. Though we barely saw a manatee, the staff tried really hard. We came all the way from Washington DC and we loved our visit. read more

American Pro Diving Center - Manatee search on a bad weather day in May. - Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida