If you are looking for a great experience swimming with the manatees, Gulf Coast Expeditions is the place to go. Ron Ross is the boat Captain and Lauren Williamson is the In-water guide and photographer. Initially, my wife, daughter, and myself were fitted with wetsuits and instructed on what to expect while snorkeling and floating above the manatees. We had a very pleasant and informative boat ride out to where the manatees were located. Ron and Lauren informed us about the manatee habitat, why they are a protected species, and answered all of our questions. Once in the water, Lauren guided us while swimming just above the mammal. She made sure we got the best views of the mammal with very close observations. While doing this, she was constantly taking photographs and videos on her camera. The photos and videos were placed on a flash drive as a souvenir for us to purchase. Part two of the trip was to the Seven Sisters fresh water spring. There we snorkeled to a deeper chasm. This was a beautiful basin of colorful fish and clear water enabling you to see and to swim to the very bottom. The trip back to the tour dock was enjoyable and again very informative with both of our guides teaching us about the environment we were in and just plain having fun. They became part of our family for a few hours. If we ever do anything like this again, Gulf Coast Expeditions, with Ron and Lauren, will be our only choice. Our three hours with these kind folks will live with us forever. I cannot more highly recommend an experience as this was to anyone. read more

I have no hesitations about recommending this company for your manatee dive. The owner is a vet (shout out to all prior military small business owners!) and the tour guides are extremely accommodating. During our snorkel tour our 7 year old was getting chilly so one of the guides (I'm sorry but I forgot her name) allowed us to continue to snorkel while she swam with her back to the boat to give her hot chocolate and warm up. She also allowed our daughter to swim with her the entire time! My daughter was thrilled and felt like a VIP. We saw TONS of manatees. Like, too many. That many! A couple of recommendations... Go early. Gulf Coast has a 6:30 tour. I know it's rough getting up that early on vacation but this is the best time to see them. When we departed around 9 they were already beginning to thin out. Gulf Coast will know the best location to spot them whatever time you do decide to go, however. I have been told that the winter months are the best time to see them. We traveled during the 3rd week of Feb. and were not disappointed with the number of manatees we saw not only on the tour but around the Crystal River area. We will remember this trip for the rest of our lives (the photos also helped) and have Gulf Coast to thank. Go for it! You won't regret it. read more

Highly recommend Gulf coast Expeditions! We toured with Leah and Captain Ed and they were a great team. Love that they are a small group tour, maxing out at 6. It makes for a much better more intimate experience. They are so respectful to the manatees and really make sure the group treated them with care as well. The first manatee we encountered- Leah realized was very pregnant, once she figured that out, we decided to leave her alone as not to stress her out. Ed looked for manatees that were not overloaded with other groups, not wanting to overwhelm them or stress them by surrounding them with more people. Leah is a pro in the water and the manatees just REALLY seem to be drawn to her! She took several pictures of us all and really tried hard to make sure we all got to interact, if possible. We got so lucky and a juvenile male was being really playful with all of us! We all got manatee hugs. We swam with about 5, including a mama and calves. We probably saw 10-12 total which is amazing for the slow season. They took us to three sisters springs which was a real treat and such a pristine oasis! Such a memorable day! read more

The highlight of our Florida trip. Well worth the 2 hour drive from Sarasota! Captain Ron warned me that this is not manatee season for Crystal River that we may not have an encounter but they would try their best for us to have an encounter. Upon arrival we were made to feel right at home! Lauren greeted us and made sure we all were fitted with the correct size wet suit. Captain Ron knew exactly where to take us on the river to have the best chance for the manatee encounter. Everything was explained to us about how to use the snorkel and masks along with what was expected while in the water. Lauren got in the water with us and took us to a manatee mom and baby grazing on plant life. What an amazing experience we will never forget. Lauren took pictures of us snorkeling and included the manatees. We spent a good 20 minutes with those manatees before getting back into the boat and heading to 3 Sisters Springs. This was absolutely worth seeing and we were able to do additional snorkeling there. This is a class A company that made us feel like friends and family! Very highly recommended!! read more

Bucket List. Check! Not only were Captain Ron and Lauren an absolute dream team when it came to ensuring we had the best experience, their unrefuted care for the gentle giants we visited and dedication to their conservation was top of the list. It's one thing to jump in the water, find a manatee, and swim around for a bit. It is a whole other level when a guest can see the care for these incredible animals shine through in the staff working the tour. Lauren knows the resident manatees in Crystal River. Captain Ron knows where they hang out. They work as a team along with other tour operations to make sure that the river provides what these animals need. It was awesome!!! There are plenty of tour operations on the river but I do not think one will find another who truly are committed to these gentle giants like Gulf Coast Expeditions. If spending time with manatees in the wild is on your bucket list, call Captain Ron and tell him "Matilda recommended him!" read more

This was an awesome excursion with our teenage grandchildren. Captain Lauren and assistant Michele knew exactly where to find the manatees, even in the summer months. We had a wonderful adventure and Lauren and Michele were very knowledgeable about the manatees. It wasn't long before a mother and baby were spotted and we were able to swim with them. The baby was so curious of us and interacted with us for a long time. We took the earliest morning time and it was such a personal experience with our grandchildren. We highly recommend Gulf Coast Expeditions and would love to do this adventure again! read more

I have never been so thrilled to right a raving review for a business! Captain Ron and sarah were not only great facilitators for the experience, but showed throughout our time together that they are truly passionate about what they do and ensuring they provide a personalized approach to each tour, marking sure your expectations are not only met, but significantly exceeded! PLEASE visit Gulf Coast Expeditions, I promise you will not be disappointed! read more

Just the best time! Even though it was end of season, and manatee were at a minimum, we still received and absolutely excellent experience from Sarah and the big boss man. They call it the Crystal River fire a reason. We not only swam with manatees, but we also saw blue herons, egrets, two gators (!), and numerous fish while getting a mini lesson on local ecology. We went 2 hours out of our way to visit, and it was so worth it. Highly recommend! read more

Girls trip and wanted to do something along with the typical trip to the beach. This tour did not disappoint. Captain Lauren and our guide Leah were both amazing, knowledgeable, and most certainly love and care about the manatees. It was so much fun and we just really appreciated Lauren and Leah making us feel comfortable. They were both so kind and funny. Crystal River is beautiful and we enjoyed Leah showing us the springs as well. read more

We had an AMAZING time! We got to swim with the manatees and in the fresh water springs. It was my first time snorkeling and I appreciate how kind and helpful the Captain Ron and his staff were in making this a wonderful experience. The sea life was stunning and Captain Ron is very knowledgeable. Gulf Coast Expeditions was a truly wonderful experience that I am recommending to all of my friends! I look forward to going again! read more

They were amazing from start to finish. Easy to switch from group to private and Capt. Lauren was super accommodating. We were the first boat out early in the morning and Michelle, our guide, was so enthusiastic and took a ton of pics. The two were friendly, professional, very motivated in making the experience the best for us. Would recommend this team hands down! Thanks, Michelle, thanks, Lauren. We will certainly be back. read more

Captain Ron, Captain Melissa and Lauren were Awesome! They made our manatee experience truly unforgettable. We were able to interact with a mama and baby (who was very curious) and Captain Melissa made sure each person in our party had an up close experience. Then they took us to the three sisters springs which was beautiful! It was an AMAZING experience due to our very professional and friendly guides. read more

We were over from the Netherlands and decided to add this to our todo list. Had a Great time!!! Beautifull place and amazing to see these big animals right in front of you! Also had a little time to go to the springs. Lovely! The People are very nice and take the time to show and explain everything! A must do! Greets Martin, Kelly ,Bradley en nova Voetman. Velserbroek , Holland. read more

BEST EXPERIENCE EVER! You cannot go wrong with booking a tour with Gulf Coast Expeditions! With their small group guided tours, we got a private and personal experience unlike the other competitors with much larger groups. We had PLENTY of one on one time with Manatees and tons of great photos to last a lifetime! Thanks Ron and Lauren for such an amazing time we will never forget! read more

We had the best experience with our captain, Lauren and guide, Leah. They were knowledgeable, friendly and serious about us having the best experience possible. They put us on some manatees and then Leah did an amazing job photographing our manatee encounter. We couldn't have asked for a better experience to celebrate our grandsons 10th birthday. Ken and Brenda Clemons read more

Anas and Family Amazing. Super fantastic. Apparently and according to my 16 years old midwestern niece, this was better than a weekend at Disney with her best friends family. Captain Andrew, Leah and Audrey are a wonderful crew, they did something very unexpected and nice for us and for that, we would come back again for sure with our next guests. Anas and Family read more

Captain Ron and crew, Cody and Krystal, made this an amazing opportunity to see the manatees! They took us the perfect spots to get up close and personal with these incredible creatures! We highly recommend Gulf Coast Expeditions for your manatee viewing! Did I mention they take pictures and video so you don't have to worry about that part of your adventure!! read more

This was so much fun! I think we had the best Captain and Mate; Todd and Leah, they were funny, informative and attentive. We will DEF bring any guests back here and specifically ask for them as our Manatee Guide! We saw so many manatees swimming or sleeping, they're such beautiful gentle creatures. We loved this trip. Thank you guys for an amazing experience read more

So glad we chose this tour company. Very personal experience due to small group size. Our tour guide and captain were very knowledgeable and also very respectful of the manatee, which we loved. Great laid back experience tailored to what we wanted to do and how long we wanted to spend with each manatee. Book with this company and you won't be disappointed. read more