Friendly staff. The boat captain was knowledgeable. Loved that he plucked plastic bags out of the…read morewater. It was a beautiful, relaxing trip. Saw many manatees!

Oh Lordy, where do I start? I was raised in the area and…read moremoved away 40 years ago. My bff and I were on a road trip tour of my favorite places. Crystal River was always one of my favorite places to play in the water. So during our "drive by" selected to do Captain Wayne's 2 hour manatee tour. I knew it was a shot in the dark because,well June, they are rare in the rivers this time of year. My BFF was hoping to see dolphins (also rare in the rivers I know). When we boarded first thing he asked was what we wanted out of this journey, we told him our hopes. We set sail in his wonderful pontoon boat completely shaded in the hot Florida sun. He told stories and provided information and answered all our silly questions with such importance we felt valued for our interests and not silly for asking such question. We happened upon ( I'm sure he did the searching but we never saw) our first pod of manatees coming up and diving so wonderful we were thrilled. After a little bit we came up on yet another pod of manatees. The respect and distance he gave them while insuring our amazing views was the marks of a caring and mindful captain. We were heading back in and time was short. But then Captain Wayne's spotted some dolphins getting ready to feed. He explained the process and what we could expect and it was AMAZING! Watching them circle the school of fish and watching them catch in midair was just a once in a lifetime experience. We stayed and watched the whole thing, running our time over by almost 30 minutes. He never rushed or even noticed that I could see. I have seen many places touristy (cattle feeds I call them) rushing in and never connecting. I can promise you this is not that. If you have time and are in Crystal River - Take this cruise with Captain Wayne, I believe you will not regret this decision! Captain Wayne's, if you're reading this - thank you thank you thank you for everything, you made it so special. A day we will not forget.

Garrett was a blast! We are just coming into the warm season and most manatees are back in the…read moregulf, he still got us to 7 manatees, 2 gators, and we caught a dolphin in kings bay towards the end. He gave us plenty of time to look for things to come up out of the water which was great for my 2 year old. Boat was shaded and was enjoyable even with a small child. Other tours wouldn't let me book because she was under 3- we brought our own lifevest but they did also have some on board that were her size.

Thank you Piper and Wade (best guide and captain combo ever!) for an experience my wife and I will…read morenever forget! Amazing! We learned so much and got to go face to face with a big old male. Piper's encouragement and direction kept us calm when things got exciting! Would recommend to everyone who loves nature. Also the office staff were gracious and made great recommendation for lunch at a local deli. 100% glad we chose these guys.

My girlfriend and I came to the port not knowing what to expect, being from Chicago. We met Sandy…read moreon the pier and found her to be both knowledgeable and extremely personable. Once on board, Captain Jake led us to all the popular hang-outs to see Manatees up close and personable. In a nutshell, the three hours we spent with Jake and Sandy was truly an enjoyable experience. If you want a personal tour and not the big business rush job, book these people!!

Awesome time Casey and Jake went above and beyond to ensure we all experienced the manatees…read more They also gave us the history of Kings Bay and explained the conservation efforts taking place Highly recommend

Captain Ron is very friendly and knowledgeable. He took time to listen to what I was looking for…read more He suggested the sunset cruise for my photography and nature wishes. It was excellent! The boat is comfortable and in good condition. Captain Ron covers safety. I felt totally relaxed with him.

This was a fun day. It really was a small group and we got to know each other and the manatees…read morereally well. Aubrey and Captain Ron were great guides.

We had the best time today on our manatee swim. Captain Misty is very knowledgeable and tons of…read morefun. Derrick did an excellent job of getting us all up close and personal with the manatees as well as keeping our group all together. We will definitely come back!

(I'd give 10 stars if I could!)…read more Highlights: *FREE pictures and videos! *Smaller boat & group = more personal and attentive experience *If you're from out of town, these are the knowledgeable locals we all hope to find on our travels *AMAZING experience! Truly delightful *chef's kiss* This experience was the absolute highlight of my trip to Florida! The captains did an amazing job -- they were so knowledgeable, friendly and playful. I learned so much about the wildlife and felt like they genuinely went out of their way to make sure I had an unforgettable time in the water. The smaller boat and smaller group size made the whole experience feel personal, lots of attention to detail. If you're thinking about swimming with the manatees, there's really no choice -- you have to go with Go Local. Thank you all so much for making my birthday trip incredible. I'll definitely be doing this again!

Did the tour over Christmas holiday to Florida. Plan ahead early, they fill up fast! Great tour,…read morevery efficient. Captian and dive instructor did a great job. Nice warm jackets provided between dives which is a great help...gets chilly between dives. Took us to three dive spots and we were not disappointed, manatees everywhere! Big sweet docile creatures, very nice. Water is warm coming out of springs, and very clear in the early morning hour we were there. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who love animals and see in their habitat.

Capt Greg was very informative about the area and the manatees. Our guide in the water, Leah,…read moreseemed to be the manatee whisperer and she attracted a few to her. It was on my bucket list to swim with these wonderful, gentle creatures and I am more than satisfied with our experience. I think we were a little late in the season because they are moving out of the very clear water toward the warming ocean. If I do it again, I would chose December or January to see hundreds of them in the river. Very positive experience with this company because they truly love and want to protect the manatees.

My 13 year old granddaughter & I visited Florida to see Disney World and Universal Studios in 2014…read more The highlight of our trip was going out on a boat with Sunshine Tours to swim with the manatees. They provided us with wet suits & snorkels for swimming in the slightly cool river. The boat took us to a several different places on Crystal River to provide us whit as many opportunities as possible to see the manatees. The captain of the boat was ever so careful to turn off the engine when we were near any manatees. He was a wealth of knowledge and taught us so much about these wonderful creatures.

It was just my wife and three kids on the boat. It was a big boat and it was very cool they were…read morewilling to take out such a small party. The other boats we saw out there were packed. The manatees came right up to us. It was awesome!!! Such gentle creatures.

Captain John orchestrated the best day ever. Swimming with the Manatees has been on my bucket list…read moreforever. This trip did NOT disappoint. Captain John knew the best spots to take us for amazing interactions with the manatee. Such a fun day and he shared so much of his knowledge of the animals, fish and wildlife with us. Goes down as one of my best days ever. The added cruise out to Hells Gate and the dolphin sightings only added to our experience. 100% recommend Captain John and Freedom Outdoors for your next adventure.

From the owner: Freedom Outdoors is a Eco Tour company based in Ozello, Fl offering daily adventures aboard our 23'…read moreCarolina Skiff. Prepare to be amazed at what our waterways have to offer along the Nature Coast. Scallop Season runs from July 1st - September 24th. Our snorkeling eco adventures run from May through October. Whatever your looking to do while on vacation we are sure to be able to accommodate all of your adventure needs.

Great experience and knowledgable friendly staff. Gorgeous day and boat was clean and safe.read more

This company took very good care of us and made sure we had the best experience. Juan and Ralph are…read moreknowledgeable about the manatee and wildlife in the area It was a very chilly morning but they made sure we were comfortable with blankets and hot chocolate! They take care of the photos which means we were just able to take in and enjoy our time with the manatees.

Our neighborhood group of 16 booked Elizabeth's Tour in Crystal River. The information about…read morefamous people who visited or filmed or built in Crystal River was a surprise for most of us. Elizabeth took us to Lemon Tree Gift shop first where you have an opportunity to see so may unique gifts many produced by local crafters. We also spent time in the Artisans Art Gallery (most of us went back to either of the stops after the tour because we had seen something to purchase). However, the highlight was the four restaurants on the tour where we were treated to such incredible food pairings. Trust me when I say, no one left hungry! We were treated to unique American dishes, BBQ, seafood, and home made doughnuts and ice cream. One example, The Cattle Dog is owned by a five star chef who brought his culinary skills to this quaint town. I highly recommend you book this tour for a fun, fabulous, food tour in the lovely coastal town of Crystal River.

Definitely a MUST-DO! This was an incredible experience…read more Everything we were shown today would've been missed if we decided to stop in and walk around to see what the town had to offer. Not only did we get to know a bit of the towns history, we got to eat incredible food and meet incredible people. I chose for us to do a private tour and it did not disappoint. It was a great day to experience Inverness, Florida! What a beautiful, small town. I highly suggest booking one of these tours, Elizabeth was highly knowledgeable and knew the towns history backwards and forwards. Highly recommend! Great experience that was not expensive. Well worth it!