The manatees were so playful today! We were very lucky to find one of the first mating manatee herds of the season in the ten thousand islands on our boat tour today.
Water clarity had degraded after the heavy rain from strong thunderstorms over the past week around Naples and Marco Island. The clear water we had enjoyed became muddy cloudy water stained dark brown. Of course, there is lots of mud, sediment, and sand on our sea floor in the ten thousand islands, but the dark brown color was a result of the rains. It rained so much over the last week! All that rainfall saturated the mangrove islands spilling the tannins from the mangrove mud and leaves into the bays. The cloudy water has been lingering, the tides slowly trying to flush it out to see every day. This makes finding our manatees who love to hide even harder than usual!
“The manatees were right by the boat! I couldn’t believe how close they were!”
(Josie, 14 from Indianapolis)
There were five manatees in the mating herd. The female took turns alternately resting and investigating her four suitors.
i want to see a manatee soooo bad! where should i go?
Hi Karen, manatees can be seen sometimes around the beaches of Naples and Marco Island in the spring and summer. They tend to follow the shoreline as they swim so often come close to beachgoers. The best way to see a manatee is on a manatee boat tour!