This was fun! A little different than what I expected but still fun. We got to the place 15 minutes early and waited about 30 minutes until we had any instruction. They walked us through a mini aquarium, then we watched an instructional video and got into wetsuits. Once in the wet suit, we waited about 30-40 more minutes in another room before being picked up. I probably would have brought a snack if I had realized it would be an hour between arriving and actually going anywhere. The staff members on the boat were cool, we liked talking to them. I feel like in the ads and on social media the water is super clear and there are tons of manatees, but it was extremely murky and it took us a long time to find one manatee. Swimming with the manatee was so cool, but we could barely tell when we were near it because the water was so murky. The guide in the water did a great job at keeping us near it, but also at a respectful distance. read more

Oh my THIS is so worth it! I know it's freezing in FL but so are the manatees so they are hanging out in the 72 degree water! Kids, adults and all swimming levels will love this experience. Dress warm and bring blankets, hats mittens, towels ect. Group-on had a deal and yes you have to pay a little more when you book but you still saved money. The tour starts with a video of rules and regulations, changing into a wet suit then loading onto a small bus and onto a boat. Then to the site where you'll hopefully see manatees and SO many fish! The staff was amazing, kind friendly and thoughtful. They do accept tips! read more

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The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable . Our dive guide Emmet was so kind to our kids and the captain Tom was funny and so knowledgeable about the area!! The dive itself was lacking for our trip. The water was incredibly murky and we could barely see anything while snorkeling. No fault of the staff or company- just the conditions for our trip. We were there in early April which is outside of peak season. if you can go during the peak season I'd recommend this company! read more

All staff was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and helpful. The training and wet suit process was prompt. The guides made sure that we saw and swam with the manatees, we saw a mom and baby together and followed them for a while. It was super exciting and fun. We also saw fish in the water and they showed us the area where people boat and fish. Very fun! Highly recommend! read more

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We had a great snorkeling experience with SeDaddy's. Our manatee guide was incredibly knowledgeable about these gentle giants, and she helped us find and swim with a few of them. It was an unseasonably warm day, so there weren't as many as usual on the river, but we did see a few. The tour was organized, prompt and fun, so I'd recommend it to anyone coming to Crystal River. read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

Thank you for a great experience! Michelle and Aubrey were amazing. Very informative and excellent people. This is one of the few manatee swim businesses that donate to manatee sea grass restoration efforts and similar eco companies directly helping manatees in the wild. read more

I contacted the company prior to purchasing a Groupon several times to ensure this was a PADI certified dive shop and was told yes. When scheduling, I was informed that it was not PADI certified but they were "working on it." I waited until they were PADI certified to utilize the Groupon. The shop called within the same week lessons were scheduled for to reschedule due to "an emergency with the dive instructor." They rescheduled for two months later, stating this was the earliest they could do. On our second day, the instructor informed us we would need to purchase the entry fee to the springs. The website and Groupon state "The course covers classroom training and practical dives, ensuring participants gain essential scuba skills. Rental gear, instructor guidance, boat fees, and entrance fees are all provided." THIS IS NOT THE CASE! I had to purchase the PADI course separately, which is over $200 per person, along with $48 entry fees into the springs. We also did nothing on a boat. On our last day, we had to end early due to weather. The instructor and someone from the shop informed us that we could either reschedule or dive that day hoping the storm passes. They both informed us that in the event that we cancel, we would just pay the $48 entry fee. The weather did not pass and we had to end early. Later that week, the shop called to reschedule and stated it would be almost $200 per person. The owner called back to explain why, stating that "everyone in the class would have failed and you all needed an extra day." I informed her that there were skills that were not practiced by multiple parties in the class and she stated that someone must have needed more time with other skills. She stated that there was ample time to complete the class and the weather had nothing to do with this. Mind you, the instructor never mentioned that someone would fail, he was encouraging, and if anyone in the class didn't understand a skill, he shared ways understand the skill. I shared with Candi that we were informed that the fee would be for the entrance fee only and she stated "no one would have told you that you would just need to pay the entrance fee", however the employee and dive instructor stated this. Candi was rude, condescending, and would not allow me to speak, just stating that the weather had nothing to do with our dives ending early. She continued to speak over with me and I shared my frustration with the dive shop; the earlier purchase and being told that this was PADI and it was not, the cancellation last minute, and now this. For each subject I brought up, she interrupted and said that that was not true. After being interrupted and spoken over several times, I asked if she wanted to hear the concerns or just continue speaking over me. She then told me that they would not be completing our dive certification and we would need to go somewhere else. She reported that a new instructor can access our records and we can get our dive certification elsewhere. Upon research, I also learned that her husband is the dive instructor. He was great, but everything else about this shop was horrible. read more

We went on a stormy day so it was difficult finding manatees at first. Our crew of Mel and Michelle were patient and persistent, though. Their patience and persistence paid off huge because we found a mom and baby manatee together. There were no other boats around so the manatees were very calm and relaxed. The baby was super curious and came up to us to check us and our camera out close up. It was an awesome experience! We can't thank Mel and Michelle enough for sticking it out and even getting us a little extra time! read more

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Best money I spent during my vacation. Our guide Ben put us right at them.I WILL go again for sure!! read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Manatee - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

An exhilarating, beautiful, and once in a lifetime experience! Captain Lenore took great care in finding us the perfect spot to slide in and swim with these beautiful creatures! Meanwhile, her First Mate, Lizz, educated us on all things manatee! We learned so much about the local flora and fauna during this experience. It was a wonderful day! read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Mama and juvenile manatee we had the pleasure of swimming alongside - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

What an amazing experience! We choose SeaDaddys because of the reviews and I am glad we did. The minute we walked in the staff was friendly and checked us in quickly. They made sure we were prepared with an overview of the Florida ecosystem, how to interact with manatees, and got us into our scuba suits. Afterward, off we went to meet our captain Loretta and diver Collins. They were amazing! Collins stayed with us the whole time, took pictures, provided us with wonderful information about the manatees, and kept checking on us due to the cold weather. He was extremely knowledgeable but just a down-to-earth and friendly person. When it was time to leave, Captain Loretta gave us hot chocolate, and extra blankets to warm up, and brought us back safely. I highly highly highly recommend Seadaddy and hopefully, you get Loretta and Collins! We will be back! read more

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So I loved the idea of this!! Mel was amazing and our captain Dave was great. Very funny definitely knew what they were doing etc. I do think this is falsely advertised, the clear water was more like a murky, dirty, and cloudy mess you can't see more than two inches. We saw the ad for this and was very excited and we even checked out the reviews before coming witch looked very pleasing! Another weird thought is the pictures online, on reviews and the ones they sent us could not have been from our tour or anyone else's unless they were in a different body of water because like I said you couldn't see more than 2 inches the pictures I took vs. the ones emailed to us were not even close! I did see one tail of a manatee and a mating pool we could not go near. I think this was a good life lesson for the family on expectation vs. reality and a great workout swimming all over the place trying to spot them in impossible conditions! A comment from one of the kids "I mean at one point I was just swimming around looking at floating shit in the water." After being scared shitless seeing some sort of tail propped up to the surface I was told "not to be scared" come to find out this water is full of sharks snakes alligators and few dolphins and sea lions. Don't worry tho the alligators shouldn't be a worry because the shark will get them first! Overall I'd go on a boat trip with the caption and mel but wont be spending $70 per person to be eaten alive by the marine wildlife. Ugh what a swindle! read more

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Carlo and Lonnie were absolutely wonderful. They were patient, knowledgeable, extremely capable, fun, and showed great respect for the wildlife. They both made sure everyone had a great time and that every person in our small group got to experience the manatee in the water. We went in January and the wetsuites provided were very warming after the first minute. After our swim, the crew provided hot cocoa that really hit the spot. Be sure to bring a towel along, as it can be chilly on the boat afterward. I was definitely the slow swimmer of the group (due to a defect in my neck and the angle it was at while swimming with the float) and they made sure I stayed with the group and helped me get positioned better to see the manatee. They took amazing photos throughout the day. We were able to purchase the photos via e-mail the next day. I was born and raised in Florida and had never made it out to Crystal River before this. It was definitely WELL worth the time, money, and effort. I hope to do this again sometime and bring family along, and I will most definitely book with this wonderful group again. read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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Positives: Collin was a nice guide and did help us see one manatee. We're grateful for that! Negatives: management! We started with a group and then got split off to a boat with no guide. We didn't get the same experience as others in our original group (except the one time that we bumped into Collin who was kind enough to help us navigate the waters). The manager was so argumentative and rude, saying we didn't pay for a guide which was super unclear and frankly just sounded like a coverup for something they messed up on. She tried to turn it around, that we got a private tour instead. Same horrible experience as another reviewer here. The worst customer service. There's 30+ other manatee tours, look elsewhere! read more

This was the first time I tried manatee snorkeling and it was a great experience! The person who took us out on boat i believe was captain Mike and he was a great guide. He had a lot of experience and was very friendly. During the crystal river tour we got to see a lot of manatees and then we went to a spring where we saw a lot of fish - snapper, sheepshead, and skate. It was a great experience and I recommend people in the area try it. read more

We had a blast with captain Dave He even helped us with our fun goal for the day wetsuit was included and was very necessary!!! We would recommend trying it. read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Crystal River 10 am in February - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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Wow if I could give them more then 5 stars I would. I went out on the first trip.( before the sun was up) the crew was amazing . They gave us a great starting point with education then the does and dont's video. Answered all questions the on to wetsuits and out we went. Collin was our guide in the water. I was super nervous about being in the water with the manatees, but he reassured me and made it one of the most memorable adventures I've had in a long time Alicia was our captain and she is extremely friendly helpful, and also answered all of my questions, I would without a doubt recommend you try this. The water can be murky at times, but that is mostly due to the manatees movements and stirring up the sand. Only advice I can give you is do what your guide recommends, and the manatees will come right up to you. read more

Worst management ever. Bought a Groupon for two for $61. Their directions on Groupon are wrong. When you go to put in the voucher code Groupon gives you it doesn't work, so you have to pay the full $125 in order to book because it said to email the code in another section of the fine print and they'd refund the difference. I tried explaining all this to their manager Karen when I went in and she kept interrupting me and kept saying I did it wrong, and that I double booked and she said "it's in the fine print to put in Groupon for the code" and when I showed her that it does not and that it specifically said to email them redemption codes she shrugged it off and said something around the lines of "well I'm going above and beyond for you to give you a refund on the difference, you want do this or no?" Karen is the most disrespectful, arrogant, unhelpful, condescending sorry excuse for a human being ever. We ended up not going because we were so upset. That's a four hours of driving absolutely wasted! read more

Captain Ken was amazing! He knew the area for the day and was able to guide us around and spotted manatees even in cloudy areas, but made sure to find us better locations. He has a good demeanor, friendly and told some good jokes! The staff at Sea Daddy's are all very personable and enjoyable. They give you safety instructions so you not only follow the laws but also keep the manatees happy and relaxed. They made sure to give us plenty of time in the water, viewing manatees and seeing the spring crack and swam around with a rogue turtle! I had called pretty much all the other companies in the are trying to squeeze this in and they were quick to make arrangements with us. They also were patient and ensured some late arrivers didn't miss their reservation and miss out on the experience! Very organized and informative, and great great service! read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Sleeping manatee we got to watch! - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

We had a great experience with Sea Daddys Adventures and Dive Center. Our Captain Carlo and his Mate Emmet were so knowledgeable and really cared about giving us a sucessful adventure. They thoroughly taught us how to interact with manatees and gave us the confidence to have a positive day of swimming with many manatees. I would highly recommend them for a fun and safe adventure. read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

My sister and I had a great time on our semi-private manatee tour! Colin and Carlos were great guides and made our manatee viewing experience a memorable and enjoyable one. read more

Avoid this place unless you are looking to be disappointed. Nothing in their ads was true. Nothing they said in person was true. But it was all worth it to receive my pictures they kept promising. Hundreds of pictures, or so they assured me when I lost my camera and was told I did not need to look for it. They would be sending so many photos. Then I get home and they send me photos of an entirely different family! After countless calls and emails, they offered me a $25 gift card (for the next time I travel from LA to Florida?). Never got one photo of my private swim tour with the manatees. Worst experience of any company I have ever dealt with. Furthermore, they do not seem to follow any of the laws regarding the manatees. All they care about is a quick buck. read more

Had a fantastic manatee experience with Captain Michele and dive master Collin. They kept it fun and worked hard to make sure we had a superb experience! Will be back. read more

My wife and I went and had an amazing time! The staff, captain and guide are amazing. We highly recommend them!

My parents and I went to swim with manatees while we were staying in St. Pete. Liz and Dallas were very knowledgeable and helpful. We had a great time! The day we went was a little warmer, so the manatees were hard to find, but they did find us about 3 to see while we were there! read more

Supa cool a wonderful experience! Cold as hell but they couldnt control that obvs. Wet suits kept us warm. We thugged it out tho because the manatees were big beautiful and so peaceful. Shi almost made me cry fr fr and I ain't even like that with animals and what not. Captain Chris and our guide emmet were so helpful and cool. Knew all the hacks and spots for optimal manatee gazin! Go on and get in dat water and see dem dere sea baked taters. Magical. Ong. read more

What an awesome experience to swim with the mighty manatee! SeaDaddy's is the group to go with; Captain Mike and our Photographer Alyssa made the adventure informative, safe, and best of all fun. Everyone involved with the business was very professional and friendly. If you want to enjoy seeing manatee up close, make SeaDaddy's your first choice! read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

What an unbelievable trip! We took the 10am tour this past Monday and had the most incredible experience. The manatees were so interactive and interested in our group that we were able to just float safely near them and they gave us lots of attention. It's been a dream of mine to swim with manatees since I was a little kid and this blew all of my expectations out of the water. The entire crew was wonderful - 10/10 recommend! read more

Best time ever. Wrote a long review yesterday but can't find it! Sidni Welby was a Godsend. She let me hold her shoulder as it was my first time and I'm a bit weak from cancer recovery. She was so sweet and took the best photos. She brought back confidence and self esteem I lost years ago. Shes professional and kind. Love you Sidni and God bless and I hope I spelled your name right. I also hope you can use that shoulder today! read more

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Had a lovely time out on the manatee tour! Our Captain Carlos was very knowledgeable about manatees, answered all of our questions, and got us to some prime spots where we could get up close with the manatees! Would highly recommend and would do again in a heartbeat! read more

Very friendly staff. Check in was simple, but be sure to follow the directions of where to check in. It is not the same place as where the boat is. Captain Bam Bam is the best. Very knowledgeable. My group saw many manatees and was able to swim with them. We had a 2 year old with us that did not want to get in the water so we just traded off, one swam and the other sat on the boat with the toddler. Our boat was not too crowded and they have the best Groupon deals going for the manatee tour. Keep in mind the parking is $5, wet suit is $15 and a tip. I would do this again. Great experience read more

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We received a call the morning of our trip that the boat was not working and our scalloping tour might have to be cancelled. Instead of leaving us stranded, Candy (the owner) worked some magic and found someone to still take us out so our family could go scalloping. We appreciate the effort to find another solution. read more

My family and I had the best time on this tour! Collin and Carlos are the best! Collin was very patient and helpful with my young kids to make sure everyone enjoyed themselves! Had such a great time swimming with the manatees! read more

We booked a three hour guided manatee tour for the two of us. We were very excited and the guide in the class (Michael, I believe) was nice. However, as we are walking to the boats he explained that the different parties would be put on different boats. Then states only one of the boats will have a guide, which was him. He also said that only that group was eligible for the photo package. He said we might meet up out there depending on where the captains of the different boats went. Ours took us to the three sisters spring and that's where the tour stopped. We were basically on our own. He did warn us that we are not allowed into the channel that led to the spring without our guide. We swam around for awhile and saw some manatees so hence the 3 stars. We never once saw our guide. We get back into the boat and another couple said they saw him briefly while out swimming. We get back to the business to change and I mentioned to the woman at the desk that I was disappointed that we didn't have a guide. She states that we booked a guided manatee tour and I said yes.. but then she said "well you didn't specifically request that you wanted a guide." But it's a guided tour? She said "yeah, but you should request specifically that you want a guide on that guided tour..." that makes no sense. So I am disappointed that it seems they are trying to make as much money as they can by scheduling large tour groups that are split on 5 different boats and only one tour guide with one of those 5 groups. We decided to go down the street to the kayak rental company and rented kayaks and swam and explored ourselves. Not only could we move around to the different parts at our own pace, but it was a much better experience in general. So if you can kayak, I would recommend that much more than this tour. No point in paying for a guided tour with no guide. read more

We had the most amazing tour. We saw and interacted with too many manatees to count. Highly recommend this company. The Captain (can't remember his name but he was a retired trooper) was so kind as I was nervous at first. Kee, the in water guide, was so sweet and helpful. It was the first tour of the day which we were nervous about as the air was 50 degrees. A few seconds after you got in the cool water the wetsuits kept us warm. It was one of the most incredible experiences of our lives. Highly recommend the waterproof phone pouch they sell as we got some incredible underwater videos of our experience. Don't hesitate to use this company. They were professional, kind and informative from explaining the process after a video in the shop, to sizing wetsuits, boat ride, swim and back to our cars. Excellent company and will use them again when we come next year! read more

SeaDaddys Adventures - Scuba Diving Near Me - Crystal River, Florida

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This was my first trip to Florida, of course I wanted to swim with the Manatees! We looked at several companies, and one of the main reasons we chose this one was because of their claim to have small groups, only 6 people per boat. It's true, there was only 6 people per boat. What they don't mention, is that there is several boats, all out at the same time from their company (not to mention all the other companies in the area). So you have several boats, all in the same area, trying to swim with the same couple Manatees! It is inferred this is a private sanctuary tour of the Manatees natural habitat. Instead we were basically boating around residential, privately owned docks the whole time! It was very dissapointing. read more

Absolutely recommend SeaDaddys to anyone from expert diver to beginner. I have never scuba before and was a bit uncomfortable at first but halfway through the 2 day course I found my comfort zone. Our instructor Mike was awesome! Yes He is blunt and to the point but he will stick with you until you get it. keep in mind he's teaching you to survive underwater which isn't easy. I'd rather have someone push me to do things right then kiss my ass trying to make tips. If you have a chance to request a guide or instructor definitely ask for Mike! The program itself was great and on the last dive he took us to see a manatee. Equipment was good and the training areas were perfect. I'd recommend to anyone learning to dive or experienced divers looking to see some of the springs! Thank you SeaDaddys for an excellent adventure! read more

Sandy and Captain Mike were great hosts for myself and my two college-age daughters on the Manatee Mania trip the middle of January. Despite the rough weather the night before, the trip continued and we are so glad it did! Everything from the 10 minute manatee orientation video, to Sandy's keen eye for perfect fitting wet suits, to the boat ride and then snorkeling with the manatees was amazing...truly a once in a lifetime experience that the three of us will never forget! Highly recommend SeaDaddy's!! read more

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We did the Manatee tour. It was great. Captain Lenora, and guide Collin were the best team. We were able to see several manatees and 2 baby manatees. One of the babies playfully chewed on my sons arm. He has been giddy about it ever since. Everyone had a good time. Lenora and Collin both went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. read more

Our family had an amazing day with Collin, Walter, and Loretta today on SeaDaddy's. Great stories and information shared. They were also extremely respectful of the manatees in their natural habitat. This was the best nature excursion our family has ever been on. Highly recommend this - well worth the cost. read more