Blue Spring State Park is filled with EXCITEMENT when West Indian Manatee migrate into the 72 degree waters of the spring. For those who appreciate nature this is one of those destinations in Florida during the winter months that is a must see.
Manatee surface for air every 3 or 4 minutes when they are swimming.
While at rest a manatee can remain submerged up to 15 minutes.
Scores of minnows are swimming around these manatee while they eat algae from the underside of a tree that has grown out over the water.
This day in the park did not disappoint & was well worth the trip!
Do You See What I See…
© PC PHOTO 2012 All rights reserved
Patty Charles 
I can’t get over how much they resemble, Australian Dugong, which feed on the seagrass that they find in Moreton Bay among a lot of coastal Australia.
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I agree… I saw some photo’s while researching these.
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Can’t see me getting there in person so thanks for the storyline…..nice shots in difficult situation…do you have a CP filter….that would be the way to reduce the reflections from the water
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Thanks for your comment Steve. I do have a CP and didn’t even think about it in this situation because I was switching lenses and cameras while walking in a maze of other visitors.
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I love your photos, brings back memories when we were in Florida on holiday we saw them and they were gorgeous, gentle giants!
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Glad you enjoyed the photo’s. They are such interesting creatures. Hard to believe that boaters show no regard for them and hit them with their vessels. Makes me wonder if they don’t care that manatee are on the endangered species list.
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Love the series, it’s great. Never have seen this in realty!
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Glad you enjoyed Tony. Hope some day you will see them in person!
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What a thrill to see the giant manatee in person. Love these photos.
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Every chance we get we travel to observe them because they are so fascinating. Glad you enjoyed.
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Like Ron, I think they are very like dugong, which also feed on the sea-grasses. We ‘met’ lots of these gentle animals while boating in Australia’s NT. I love the soft blue-greens in these images.
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This is one of my favorite viewing places because the water is so clear. We’ve been to other places and the water is so murky it is difficult to see them.
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You don’t even know how jealous I am right now….I have only seen these guys in an aquarium at Atlantis! Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!!!!
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Thanks Tammy! I would like to swim with them in an aquarium to get those wonderful underwater shots….. a girl can dream.
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Really great photos.
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Thanks Cathy 🙂
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It must be amazing to see them so closely! Love water ripples too. 🙂
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Honestly it is amazing. I’m like a child at a holiday when I am around them, I get all giddy and can’t stop smiling.
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These are great shots. I’ve never seen them in the wild. You’re lucky!
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Hopefully one day you will have the opportunity – it’s sort of life changing to watch them interact with one an other. Thanks for stopping by Kala!
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Very strange creatures ! I think I saw them once in the Red Sea in Egypt.
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Yes, I think their oddness is part of the appeal, wouldn’t you say? Thanks for stopping by – glad you did.
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Such wonderful creatures, super captures
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Thanks for stopping in Steve – and thanks for the support.
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Hi Patty,
Awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing your trip to the zoo. Have a great day!
Sherrie
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Glad you enjoyed Sherrie! They were actually in the wild.
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Wow to see such things. Love this. Thank you!
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Thanks Katie!!!!! Happy to share with you.
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How wonderful to see these gentle creatures in the wild, love the shot of one of them coming to the surface.
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Thanks Jacki – that is one of my favorites!
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Such ungainly looking creatures but graceful in the water, I’m sure! What was God thinking when these were created! How fortunate to be able to view these in their natural habitat.
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Very graceful in water. They play with one another and roll about with such ease. I am so fortunate to experience their lives and so happy to share my experiences 🙂
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What a wonderful series…..will have to google Blue Spring State Park…….going to Key West in a couple of weeks but have a feeling it’s not near there.
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Glad you enjoyed the series 🙂 The Keys are more than a days drive from Blue Spring but I know what ever you do on your trip will be an experience!
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OMG these are awesome shots!!!! Just love them!
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Thank you for stopping by and your kind words 🙂
I stopped by your Top Knotch Gear site on wp and love your bucket list and products!
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Marvelous photos of these gentle giants. My favorite is the bottom one, where we sense and feel their presence in a mysterious way, rather than by seeing them clearly.
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Their size and gentleness is amazing, happy to share the mystery and the day.
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Wonderful shots. Nice that they are free to migrate. “Manatee Girl won’t you come out tonight and swim by the light of the moon” – don’t know if that is a real song, but it should be. 🙂
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Thank you! …. it’s a real song now!!
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Fascinating subject matter and great images…I’ve never seen a manatee in person (just stills and video). One of these days…
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I hope you do get to see them one day in person, they are amazing to watch. Glad you enjoyed, and thanks for stopping.
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Great shots – I’ve been enjoying seeing the manatees every day in South Florida – they cruise up and down the canals
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They are so graceful – glad you get to enjoy them, soon they will be back out to the deep waters. Thanks for stopping by!
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What an amazing event to see!
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It truly is! I get excited every winter when it gets cold and they migrate into warmer waters, it’s one of those must see things.
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What a thrill to see these amazing creatures through your eye, your admiration shows. . Hard to imagine though that they may be a base for the legend of mermaids….
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I do have a crush on them 🙂 and it is a pleasure to share these! Maybe mermaids were full figured back when the legend was spun… !
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These are great shots of manatees (my favorite animal!). I adopted one of them from blue spring last year, and last year visited some others at Homosassa Springs on the west coast of Fl. They are beautiful and relaxing to watch! Thanks for sharing!
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