I've never really had
any great urge to visit the US, apart from maybe Alaska and the desert
parks of the south west. Florida was never even on the map! However,
as David came across an article about manatees, this would all quickly change...
In winter, the West Indian manatees gather in great
numbers at the hot springs of Florida, to avoid the cold temperatures
in the Mexican Gulf. They cannot survive if it's colder than 15
degrees Celsius and even a prolonged stay in waters below 20 causes
cold stress syndrome and is sometimes fatal. Hence Citrus county on
the western coast of Florida sees an influx of manatees between
November and March each year.
At the end of
January, we made our way from Tampa northward, to try our luck. The
days were beautifully sunny and dry, with temperatures ranging from 8
to 17 most of the time. Arriving at our manatee themed Airbnb in
Homosassa, we were greeted by our super enthusiastic, talkative and
knowledgeable hosts, who also rent out kayaks and snorkelling
equipment. We quickly made a plan for our five nights in this small
town and decided to head out early next morning, to the famously
clear waters of Crystal Springs.
Excited, but also a bit
sceptical, we were dropped off the next morning, after having rented
some gear. The water might be pleasant at the springs, but the air
temperature calls for wet suits this time of the year. Kayaking the
few kilometres towards the spring was a great experience in itself, with lots of
birds making their presence known.
As we closed in on the
spring, I expected a crowd, but was happily surprised to see only a
couple of kayaks and one park ranger out on the water. The area
closest to the spring is fenced off to humans, so that the animals
can choose to be left alone in the relative warmth and swim in and
out as they please. On land, the area is a State park, where you pay
an entrance fee to see the animals from land. Getting wet when it's
only 9 degrees may not be tempting to normal people...
But,
who said we're normal!? We secured our kayaks and under we went... I
had not known what to expect and probably hadn't really given it much
thought. I've seen pictures, but we all know it is never as good as
that in real life. But... not only are manatees huge, they're also
extremely curious and gentle! They come right up to you to check you
out and will even let the young ones close in on you. No words can
describe these encounters... Not even the pictures do it justice...
After an hour and a
half, even 22 degree water feels chilly and we had to return to town.
Happy to be wearing wet suits we had a bit of a rough paddle back,
against the current. We returned our rental gear just before closing
and made arrangements to pick it up again the next morning, to go to
a different spot. Back at our accommodation, we were grateful to jump
into the hot tub in the garden, watching woodpeckers and sipping
coffee until it got dark.
Next morning we headed to a lesser
known spot, recommended by our hosts; a camping area right on the
river. The boat launch site is actually the best for manatees, but we
started out by going down river, just to have a look around. We
weren't disappointed. Being all alone on the river, with birds
everywhere and a couple of manatees coming up for air here and there
was pure magic! The water was pretty murky on the river however and
we turned back after a couple of hours, after having had lunch in the
kayaks on a sunny little creek.
Even though the water wasn't
as clear as the previous day, it was much better than down stream and
all in all, pretty good. This place felt much more wild and we could
see why it had been recommended. The manatees here were even
friendlier than at the more popular spot and frequently came up to
the very few snorkelers for a good scratch.
In general, the
rule is no touching of any wildlife... But, in Citrus county, there
is an exception. If the manatee touches you first, you are allowed to
scratch them with one hand... and one hand only! Of course you can
not chase them or hold on to them. However, there's no rule saying
they can't hold on to you... or even nibble you!
On our way to the east
coast, we made sure to pass the Blue Springs. This is the spot that
sees the highest density of manatees, with congregations of several
hundred in the winter months, though manatees actually are solitary
creatures. You aren't allowed in the water in any way in this State
park, which is very understandable, as there are thousands of people
visiting here every day. It is however really pretty and photogenic
with it's turquoise crystal clear waters. We spent a few hours in the
afternoon, marvelling at the sight.
As the sun was getting low, the light was amazing and it was quite fun to watch the manatees and cormorants checking each other out... Though at one point. I guess the nibbling got to be too much.
After a few days of
birding on the east coast, we planned on heading south, towards the
Everglades. We were talking about how we both found it incredibly sad
that we'd never see manatees again and didn't know how to deal with
life if didn't... so, on a whim we decided to go all the way back to
Homosassa! We called up our hosts from the previous week and made
sure to stop for a land based view of our beloved manatees, before
reaching our accommodations, hot tub and a cheap little Mexican
restaurant once more. 
Next day we had to rent a canoe from
the campsite office, as our hosts had made previous arrangements for
their kayaks with the other couple staying over. We didn't really
mind, as we weren't going very far... only about 100 m out from the
office and launch site, to yet again being embraced by the gentle
giants. Just as last time, there weren't many other people here and
one manatee calf just loved seeking attention from each one of the
visitors. I would have thought the mother might object, but she
happily swam around getting belly rubs here and there, enjoying
life.
As it was a relatively warm day, we didn't rent wet
suits, but got out of the water every now and then to warm up on our
shared canoe... Oh how the tiny little flying blood suckers loved
that decision! I was covered in some sort of local remedy, but it
only sort of half worked. A hot tub soak and a scorching hot shower
later on took care of most of the itchiness though.
Early
next morning, we left this area once more, after a last goodbye from
the jetty. However the year turned out after this, at least the manatees of Citrus
county gave us a great start to 2020.
/A
No comments:
Post a Comment