Get up Close and Personal With a Once-Endangered Manatee

On the coldest winter days, upward of 700 manatees can be found basking in the warm waters of the myriad natural springs around Crystal River near Florida’s Gulf Coast. Visitors can swim with and snorkel with these lovable, gentle giants. Carol Grant/Visit Florida/TNS

By Mary Ann Anderson From Tribune News Service

Shivering from winter’s morning chill, I apprehensively slip off the back end of a pontoon boat and thread my way into the warm waters of Crystal River on Florida’s west coast. It is cold, in late January, and the air temperature hovers in the upper 30s. Still, the sun is bright in the brilliant blue, unclouded sky.