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Birds Underwater

Dive Centre Center (English)

Service:
  • Accommodation for Divers
  • Air
  • Dive Show
  • Diving Charter Boat
  • Equipment Gear Rentals
  • Gear Equipment Servicing
  • Liveaboard Diving
  • NITROX
  • PADI
  • School Course Learn to Dive
  • TRIMIX
  • Underwater Photography/Video
  • Underwater Publications Prints
  • Vacation Holiday Scuba Diving
Company description Are you an Aquatic Mammal enthusiast? Have you swum with dolphins or journeyed to watch whales frolicking in all their majesty?
Then let us introduce you to the friendliest and kindest of creatures - the West Indian Manatee. Nowhere else in America can you swim with this endangered and precious species but in our unique area of Crystal River, Florida.
Bird`s Underwater is owned and operated by Captains Bill ``Bird`` and Diane Oestreich. We have been operating as guides in Crystal River since 1989. We offer personal attention, supervision and education to our customers. We offer dive instruction & guided dives. Birds is a PADI 5 Star Dive Center. We love the manatees and have learned to balance your desire to see them with a respect for the animal, the laws and the local environment.
The West Indian Manatee is a large, gray-brown aquatic mammal. Its seal-like body tapers to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. The upper part of its body has two small forelimbs with 3 to 4 nails on each flipper. The head and face are wrinkled, and the snout has whiskers. Adults have been known to reach lengths of over 13 feet and weights of over 3,000 pounds. Calves are 3 to 4 feet long at birth and weigh approximately 60 pounds.
Manatees spend most of their time feeding and resting. They graze for food along rivers, coastal bottoms and the water`s surface. Manatees have been known to hold their breath for as long as 20 minutes, but they usually surface every 5 minutes to breathe. Their minimum population is estimated to be about 1,800; however, the continuing growth of Florida`s coastal areas threatens the manatee`s survival.
As of March 10 the Fish and Wildlife counted 100 manatees in Kings Bay. We have had periodic warm and cold spells. Last week temperatures were in the upper 80`s, and this did not yield very good conditions. We found 1-2 manatees daily, but not in the clear springs. The last two nights of March 15th and 16th were cold, and several manatees were back in the clear springs. This fluctuation will continue until we get a stable summer population of 30-40 manatees when the aquatic grasses grow back around the end of May. We can have fruitful cold snaps into mid April. Sanctuaries come down March 31st. You can make a reservation and call for conditions 1-2 days before your scheduled tour.
When you arrive at the main building you will be shown a video (filmed
in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service) which demonstrates how you should behave when you are interacting with manatees in the water. After viewing the video, you may rent a wetsuit and other gear, or change into the gear you brought with you. Next, you and your Coast Guard Certified Captain will proceed to the dock area and board one of our enclosed pontoon boats, where fresh donuts and coffee are available, free of charge (hot chocolate and juice are also available).
All our boats have changing rooms and toilets.
While you are touring Kings Bay in search of manatees, your friendly and knowledgeable Captain will answer any questions you have about the local ecosystem. After the Captain has found a good location, he or she will drop anchor and everyone will quietly enter the water and snorkel with the manatees. The Captain will join you in the water, to supervise your experience and shoot digital quality videos, which you may purchase.
Each tour lasts approximately three hours (depending upon a variety of conditions). Your tour may not return until after 11:00 a.m., so if you are staying in a hotel, you should request a late checkout time. Note: Our tour times are from when the boat embarks until you disembark from the boat, not ``shop to ramp`` as some services use. If you would rather not deal with the hassle of staying in a hotel, you are welcome to rent one of our Waterfront Vacation Homes.
Location description: We are located on the water, so you don`t have to drive to a boat ramp to embark from a different location. This saves time and effort!
Our early waterfront departure time allows us to beat the crowds. Most manatees move into sanctuaries when it gets busy on the water. Tours meet at 6:15am. We offer an 11:00am tour, but highly recommend the early tour.
Stay at a local motel or one of our rental homes the night before.
Our Captains get in the water with our clients to supervise, assist, and shoot high quality video for DVD reproduction and sales.
All tours are educational and conducted with respect to the manatees first. We show the Fish and Wildlife ``Manatee Manners`` video, and give a thorough briefing of laws before boarding and during the tour.
Captains enter the water before the snorkelers to make sure there are receptive manatees in the area.
We provide free hoods for the cold days. Our Children`s wetsuits are 6/5/4 mm thick providing extra warmth for the little ones.
Complimentary donuts, coffee, hot chocolate, juice, and water are provided on all tours.
Free manatee coloring books and manatee snorkeling certificates available upon request.
PADI Manatee Awareness Certification $25.00 upon request. Must be OW certified.
Click here to see prices, and view the dive center site for our scuba diving packages.
Now, back to our Manatee Snorkeling Tours and the reasons why Bird`s Underwater is your best bet for a quality vacation experience. Our manatee tours are educational, as well as enjoyable. Prior to the tour, you will be shown
a video filmed by our staff, in cooperation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, in which proper behavior
is demonstrated and explained. We offer free refreshments, including: fresh donuts, water, juice, hot chocolate and
coffee. Our friendly and knowledgeable Captains will answer all of your questions about manatees and the local
ecosystem. When you enter the water to snorkel with the manatees, the Captain will join you, to supervise
your experience and shoot digital quality videos which you may purchase.

Website: Preview http://www.birdsunderwater.com/ by Thumbshots.org http://www.birdsunderwater.com/
Manatee tours and dive center located in Crystal River, Florida. Also offers scuba training and certification, including Nitrox and Tri-Mix.

Contact information:

Phone: (352) 563-2763
Street Address:
320 N.W. Highway 19
Crystal River
Florida
United States
34428
Spoken language(s): English
Open: from 09-00 till 17-00
Local time:  GMT - 6 Mexico, Monterrey, Guadalajara
Note: No guarantee is made to the accuracy of these details.

If you are a representative of Birds Underwater , you may update your options or details in our scuba diving directory. Please use contact form or email us at info@divingfinder.com.


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