The sea cow is our favorite marine mammal so we always hope that everyone sees manatees in Naples. If you are here and hoping to see a manatee while visiting or on vacation then you may be in luck! Knowing where to find manatees will ensure having that manatee encounter that you’ve been dreaming about.

Manatees are found in our waters around Naples and Marco Island year-round. We are lucky to have these giants marine mammals sharing our beaches and secluded bays. Their habitat changes throughout the year. There are many places that you’ll find them in the wintertime and not in the summertime. It may be in your best interest to hire a local guide to help you find the Florida Manatee.

If you are looking for incredilble wildlife encounters while in the sunshine state, do not pass up the chance to see Manatees in Naples.
~Travel Florida

The better bet if you want to see a manatee up close, is to get out on a boat tour with a certified captain. Local guides know where to find manatees in the waters around Naples. Lots of places that the manatees are found in Collier County are hard to get to. Many are not near any place you can walk. Most are in the remote backwaters and barrier islands of the region.

5 and 1/2 places to find Manatees in Naples

1. Coastal Beaches

The coastal beaches around Collier County may be the best place to find manatees year-round around Naples. Manatees often travel by the following the coastline. This is one of the ways they can find their way around. Manatees don’t have the greatest eyesight. Sometimes following the coastline is the best way for them to get from here to there.

If you’ve ever been to one of our beaches on Naples or Marco Island you may have that wonderful experience that only the manatee can bring. There’s nothing quite like swimming, wading, or playing in the water and seeing a giant shadow coming your way. At first thought, it may be a shark or something that is out to get you. Many times you’ll find it’s just the gentle sea cow swimming its way up the coastline. It’s probably looking for its next meal of seagrass or headed back to the river for some fresh water.

Seeing the manatees up close only a few feet away, swimming in their lumbering but determined fashion is simply magical. It’s something you’ll never forget once you experience it firsthand. This is a chance occurrence only happening because you were at the right place at the right time, at the beach, when the manatee decided to swim by.

Beaches that often see a lot of manatee traffic include Marco Island South Beach and Marco’s Tigertail Beach. Also, the coastal areas around the Naples Beaches can see a lot of traffic. Often people will see large groups of manatees from the Naples Pier. This is not because of the manatee’s hanging out around the pier. Rather it is because of the elevated viewpoint that enables you to see the manatees when they’re swimming by.

2. Cape Romano

The Shoals of Cape Romano are a vast area of undulating seafloor that consists of sandbars, oyster bars, mud flats, shell bars, and grass flats. It is the grass flats that attract the manatees. Seagrass found on the flats is probably their favorite food.

At many times of the year, manatees can be found in the shoals both resting and feeding in the grass flats. As well you can often find them swimming to in from areas around the shoals.

Now the shows of Cape Romano are often referred to as some of the most treacherous waters on the gulf coast of Florida. This makes it pretty difficult to get there in a boat. Especially if you don’t know where you’re going. If there is any location on this list that would be best to go with the certified Captain as a guide, the Shoals around Cape Romano are definitely the place.

3. Ten Thousand Islands

The 10,000 Islands are one of the best places to find manatees in all of Florida. This is probably because of the remote quality of The island chain. Many of these islands are hard to get to, and they all are only accessible by boat. The manatees could easily seek refuge in the waters around the 10,000 Islands because they are so far from civilization.

There are still many undisturbed seagrass beds in the 10,000 Island area which of course are really great feeding grounds for the manatees. These provide food for the sea cows year-round which means that you can find them at any point in the year. There also plenty of safe areas for the manatees to hideout with very little boat traffic or other human pressure where they can swim freely and safely.

4. Everglades National Park

The Everglades National Park is similar to the 10,000 Islands and how it’s perfect for manatees. There’re so many islands and so many secluded waterways that it is a great place for the sirenians to swim and play. They’re also still many seagrass beds that are undisturbed. This could be due to the lower marine pressure and remote undisturbed areas.

Some of the largest mating herds that I have ever seen have been in the Everglades National Park. One bay near Indian key is notorious for dozens of manatees showing up in the early summer to mate. I personally have seen at least 80 manatees in this bay during the mating season. It is really spectacular to see so many sea cows in the same place at the same time. There are many other secluded bays and grassy areas that the manatees prefer and can frequently be found at.

5. The Faka Union

We’ve saved the best for last… the Faka Union waterway is one of the best places to find manatees in the entire state of Florida. The Faka Union is also the only remaining true freshwater natural watershed left in the Everglades. Years ago, before Highway i75 and the Tamiami Trail were built, freshwater would flow from as far away as the Kissimmee River basin. This fresh water would flow from North of Orlando South through the Everglades all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Development in South Florida has dramatically changed how water behaves in our state. The Faka Union is still a natural watershed where freshwater flows through the “river of grass” as Marjorie Stoneham Douglas so eloquently said.

There are many places where you can find manatees year-round in Naples in the waters of the Faka Union because of the sea cows love and requirements for freshwater to drink. Even in the summer months after the mating herds have left, you can still find mother manatees with their calves in the waters of the Faka Union. Mother manatees will not leave their home bays in waters with their babies. Here they know where to find everything they need-safe water to swim in, seagrasses and other aquatic plants to eat, and fresh water to drink. It is literally the perfect environment for them to raise their young so they will not leave during the manatee calf’s primary year.

5 1/2. Manatee Park

This one gets on the list because although it is not in Naples or Collier County, it is really close by. Also, 99% of people visiting Naples fly into the RSW Ft Myers SW Florida airport, and this location is super close by. Especially during winter months, if you want to see manatees in Naples but are pressed for time due to travel, this can be your best bet.

Manatee Park in Lee County, on the shores of the Caloosahatchee River near Fort Myers, is a great place to find manatees in the wintertime. The manatees are found in the warm water runoff from the Florida Power & Light plants on the south shore of the Caloosahatchee. The water that is used to cool the generators at the electric plants runs out to the river from there. The manatees know all about this and come back every year to stay warm in these waters during our winter months. At some points in January and February, there are dozens of manatees at the park making it very easy to see them as they rest and keep warm.

The park does a good job of making the experience fun with a nature trail for walking and many informative and educational signs about the manatees.

While Visiting Florida, See Manatees in Naples

While visiting Naples, whether you’re here for vacation or been bitten by the Florida bug and decided to stay, you should definitely get to know the Florida Manatee while you’re here. Naples is probably the best chance you’ll have to get to see a manatee up close and enjoy how majestic these huge sea cows really are. I guarantee you once you get to have your manatee moment only inches away from these gentle giants it will be something you’ll never forget.