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.

I don't know where to start…read more This was the absolute best day. We started at the River Ventures Dive Center at 6:30AM, where we were offered coffee, tea, hot cocoa and snacks, and spent the next bit with an educational video and a wetsuit fitting. From there, we took a bus to the dock, in the most gorgeous sunrise light. let by our Guide Nat. Captain Emerson met us at the covered, heated pontoon, and our group set off through the water, for the protected manatee zone. The water was FULL of our sweet sea potatoes... in fact, it was difficult to even get off the boat because our new friends swam right up to the ladder. Nat had given excellent instructions. We immediately leaned into our pool noodles and gently followed her lead through the water. It took just moments before manatees were all around us. We stayed calm and quiet, and they either continued snoozing, or swam up to investigate us. Nat was on point with the camera, and with showing us things like the tarpon and sheepshead fish, and she was also shared little details about the manatees as we floated. Of course, with nature, there are no guarantees, and I really had no idea what to expect, but I was absolutely delighted by the interactions we had. The cold snap absolutely played into our favor, and I am so glad we showed up with our adventurous spirit. When we returned to the boat, there were more snacks, as well as hot cocoa, coffee, tea, and a variety of drinks in the cooler (water, beer, wine, soda, and white claws). We were so grateful for the boat covering and heater as we made our way back to the dock, and we had great chats with Nat, Emerson, and the other group on our tour. Was it cold? Sure. But the water felt great at 72ºF, and our wetsuits did a wonderful job of protecting us and keeping us buoyant. Our experience was incredible, from booking, to engaging with the staff with any questions we had, to the actual tour itself. The photos and videos were absolutely phenomenal, as well, and we were happy to purchase the package, as well as some gifts from the souvenir shop. We will be back for more manatee viewing, or to try one of their other tours. Thank you so much for the best day!

Snorkeling with Manatees! William L Schams and I had a fun encounter with many manatees at Crystal…read moreRiver, Florida. Salty Siren Tours and Charters was our tour guide. Our guide, Tyler, was so fun and made sure all of us had the best spot to have clear water and positive encounters with the Manatees. He also made sure we were safe, had pictures and videos. A really nice and thoughtful person. Our captain was Captain Randy. He was very knowledgeable, kind and fun. He made sure we had hot beverages after we got out of the water! He was a very experienced captain. William was loved by the baby Manatee so much. It constantly sought him. It was adorable. Our guide, Tyler, had a really close encounter with the Manatee nibbling his facial hair! Lol. The whole experience, we maintained our instructions to not touch the Manatees. They could touch us, but was had to stay still and be respectful. The Crystal River Community is doing everything they can to protect the Manatees and educate us humans how to respect them. What a beautiful place.

Just an absolute first class experience. From the time we stepped into the shop until the time we…read moreleft the shop after a great tour we just felt like friends and had a wonderful time. The effort of Captain Ed, and our guide Tyler was unmatched. Using the drone to find manatees as well as take really amazing photos and videos of our experience is unmatched. There's nothing I could say bad in anyway and I would recommend this company to anyone, especially given the smaller size of the tours

Very disappointing experience at Three Sisters Springs. During our Florida vacation we visited…read moreseven parks from Fort De Soto up to this area and had great experiences everywhere else. When we arrived, the parking attendant directed us to park across the street and said we could pay at the gate or the visitor center. When we returned to the gate it was closed and the attendant had stepped away with a sign saying to wait or go to the visitor center, so we assumed we could pay there. When we reached the buildings we were aggressively approached by a volunteer named Cyndi Stone who immediately accused us of breaking federal laws and sneaking in. We tried to explain the misunderstanding but she was not interested in listening. The interaction was embarrassing and unnecessarily confrontational. We were clearly tourists unfamiliar with the setup and would have happily paid the fee if approached respectfully. Instead, the situation ruined the visit and we chose to leave. On the way out a different person at the gate apologized, which we appreciated, but clearer instructions and a more respectful approach would make a big difference for visitors.

Do you want to see Manatees in the wild? Come here!…read more Late November to early March these wonderous creature come to the warmer inlets of the gulf and like to habg out here at the 3 sister's spring, where the water is 72°F year round, and crystal clear. The grounds of the spring head are nicely kept, and contain a nicely informative walk. Come see the floaty potatoes!

What an AWESOME day! Crystal River Kayak Company & Dive Center made for such a great experience!…read moreThe staff were friendly and informative, equipment was clean & well maintained, and check-in/out was simple and quick! We rented paddle-boards for 3 hours to go visit Three Sister Springs at the Crystal River Wildlife Refuge, and it did NOT disappoint! You cannot swim at Three Sister Springs unless you arrive by watercraft as the refuge is protected, so going on an adventure via paddle-board was a nice relaxing way to explore the area. We saw multiple manatees and even got to swim with them when they came in the refuge (SUCH A COOL EXPERIENCE)! The coolest thing about the manatees was how much trust they put in the people visiting their home. There was a mom and calf swimming right up to people, and I thought how cool it was that she put that much trust into her surroundings as to show off her baby. I highly recommend checking out this company next time you're visiting the area!

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff, easy entry point for a day on the river. Great time…read morekayaking with the manatees!

Captain Kyle was very informative and great at handling the boat, had great time despite the rainread more

Had an awesome time with my family. captain Sam was a great tour guide! Highly recommend!read more

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

This was our second time using Birds to swim with Manatees and we will choose them every time now…read more Had an amazing experience with Captain Misty and Guide Gina. Highly recommend the 6am tour as you get viewing time before it gets really busy. I really appreciate Birds Underwater as they do a great job educating you about the manatees and how to passively observe. Made the manatees more comfortable and as a result we got to have some amazing interactions with them.

Thank you to Heidi and Andy for the awesome time! So special getting to swim with manatees, and…read morethanks for answering all my many excited questions!

We had an amazing time on our manatee tour! We got to see several manatees up close. Our guide,…read moreJohn, was fantastic. He was funny, informative, and just an awesome guy who clearly knows how to make the tour fun for everyone. He shared so much interesting information while keeping us laughing the whole time. Highly recommend this tour, especially if you get John as your guide!

We saw the manatees from outside the water and inside the water which was super cool! However we…read moreonly swam one time for about 20-30 minutes and they cut the tour short by about an hour which sucked because we paid like $70 for the whole thing. I would've been happy just swimming for the remainder of the tour

Dangerous Operation, Dishonest Response - Families Beware…read more We've owned and operated boats for years and have scalloped this area many times. Our experience with Twin Rivers Marina on July 28, 2026 was, without exaggeration, the worst and most concerning we've had on the water. We rented a 22' pontoon for a family scalloping trip with our two young children. The "safety briefing" was basically a walk‑around focused on damages and fees. There was no clear explanation of boundaries or no‑go zones beyond a quick mention of Salt River and Shell Island. No one said we couldn't go toward Homosassa, which is exactly where the scalloping grounds are. No one told us our small children were legally required to wear lifejackets while underway. We had to bring our own for them. Once we left the dock, it became clear the boat was not seaworthy by any reasonable standard. The depth finder, fuel gauge, Garmin/GPS and VHF radio were all malfunctioning or unreliable. In this shallow, rock‑filled area, that isn't an inconvenience, it's a safety hazard. When we reported that the Garmin wasn't working, the response was essentially, "I didn't say it would work." Later, they tried to use those same unreliable coordinates to accuse us of being "out of bounds." We were told they monitored Channel 68; the first boat's radio didn't work at all. On the second boat they hailed us, we answered immediately, and they never responded. We spent large chunks of the day stranded with kids on board, trying to get help from a company that advertises safety and support but couldn't even maintain a basic radio watch. Eventually they sent a replacement boat. They later claimed our coordinates had them headed toward Cedar Key/Shell Island. That's simply not true. We were left after the power plant in the familiar Homosassa scalloping area, not in Salt River and not near Shell Island. When they finally arrived, they found us exactly where we said we were, using the same coordinates we had been giving them. Their own written agreement mentions "No Salt River" and some guidance around Shell Island; it says nothing about Homosassa being off limits. Later, on the second boat, we apparently hit something and they said the propeller was damaged. Even if some responsibility for that impact is ours, it happened after an entire day shaped by their faulty equipment, poor communication and vague route instructions. The captain who handled the situation was rude, sarcastic and used profanity toward us in front of our children. That alone tells you a lot about their "family friendly" marketing. The return to the marina was the final insult. Instead of a sensible, direct route, they took us on a long loop that went close to 15 miles out before turning back in, turning a straightforward return into a 2.5‑hour ordeal and burning a lot of extra fuel. They blamed low tide. We've run this area for years; this route felt more like a joyride and a way to pad fuel time than the only safe option. When we got back, the billing story appeared. The receipt totaled $955.95: rental, fuel for our boat, a prop charge, a late fee, fuel for their service boat and fuel for a second rental boat ("Flying Dutchman"). On the credit card side, they broke this into multiple transactions that do not cleanly match the single receipt. They billed us for fuel on their own service boat and a second rental we never agreed to rent separately, plus a late fee driven largely by their own broken equipment and self‑inflicted delays. Their paperwork references pre‑departure prop photos, yet no prop photo was ever attached to the invoice to actually document the damage. And then came the most disturbing part: their public response. In their reply to our review they implied that both the operator and another adult on board were consuming alcohol while the boat was being operated and that this is why their manager took over. That is false. She took over after we questioned why the second boat was crawling and raised concerns about the prop and performance. With two young kids on board and a captain already acting unprofessionally, we agreed to let her drive to get back safely. To turn that into a public accusation of intoxication is not only dishonest, it's reckless. It's an attempt to smear a customer rather than address their own safety failures, and it sends a chilling message to families: if you speak up about unsafe conditions, this business will attack your character in public. What makes this even more troubling is that our experience is not unique. Multiple other reviews over several years describe the same pattern: broken depth finders, broken fuel gauges, GPS issues, poor performance, unprofessional behavior and customers warning others about safety. We cannot all be "lying" or "confused." If you care about your family's safety, your wallet, time, or piece of mind, think very carefully about trusting this business.

Before we left we advised that the fishing pontoon we rented for the whole day had no working…read moreradio, the cigarette adaptor did t work to charge our phones if we needed. We were told they could either give us a different pontoon with no live well or give us a portable speaker. Bill crap. We spent over $350 and it wasn't fully functioning. Thank goodness my husband knew the water and we made the best of it for his birthday. Just disappointed that I didn't go with a different place to rent which was cheaper.

We had a glorious trip down Crystal River. Even though the water was murky, Captain Wayne described…read morethe birds and the trees to us. He was very knowledgeable about the whole area and pointed out the different interesting historical sites. We even saw three green herons, which is rare! We've even stopped and picked up lunch at the shrimp shack and ate we were cruising! A nice breeze and scattered clouds kept us cool. Thank you, Captain Wayne. It was surely a blessing to get my dad back out on the water!

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!