vacation part two.

part two . swimming with manatees
i think one of the best feelings in the entire world is crossing off a life goal. i did that last weekend. i have been in love with manatees since the very first time i ever saw one in an aquarium. i've done some research over the years, trying to find the best place to have a swimming encounter with the gentle giants, but never actually committed to it. in december, my dad surprised me by booking an excursion trip in crystal river, florida. i was probably more excited about this part of the trip than anything else. as i mentioned in my last post, it was absolutely freezing, but that wasn't going to stop me!

that morning, we woke up to 37 degree weather with about 5-10 mph winds. we boarded a tiny little boat with our captain, jake, and his son, austin. it was just us.. since no other tourists were crazy enough to brave the cold. we zoomed out to what jake called "the perfect place", stripped down, and donned our wetsuits. he promised we would be warmer in the water than we were on the boat, and i didn't believe him until i actually took the plunge. weirdly enough, he was right! now, don't get me wrong. it wasn't warm.. by any means, but i was fairly comfortable.

we could see them immediately.. these massive grey blobs swimming back and forth, occasionally sticking their adorable little noses up for air. my mom stayed in the boat with jake to help us spot them. it took a while to get one to stop and play, but every single waiting second was worth it. if you can get one that's interested, dive down and rub its belly, it will roll over onto its back and just lay there, letting you pet it. they didn't feel at all like i had imagined. if you've ever pet a dolphin, you know that they feel rubbery and slick. not manatees.. they feel like i would imagine an elephant would.. soft, wrinkly skin. some of the older, slower manatees even have algae growing on their backs.

unfortunately, lacking an underwater camera, we didn't get any great shots of the manatees, but i found oceangrant's flickr stream this morning, and wanted to share. there are some absolutely amazing shots of the gorgeous creatures.

it was a wonderful, beautiful experience, and i am just itching to do it again! maybe next time, i'll be blessed with warmer weather!