Crystal River, Florida, United States

Three Sisters Springs

Three Sisters Springs is a complex of three connected freshwater springs at the head of a narrow channel off Kings Bay in Crystal River, Florida, inside Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. The springs flow at about 22 C year-round and serve as a primary winter warm-water refuge for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), federally listed as threatened. From mid-November through March, dozens to hundreds of manatees congregate in the warm spring boil, making this one of the few places in the world where you can legally swim with wild manatees. The activity is snorkel-only by US Fish and Wildlife Service rule; SCUBA is prohibited inside the springs to prevent disturbance. Depths run from less than 1 metre at the spring head to about 5 metres in the channel, and visibility in the spring boil exceeds 30 metres. Strict passive-observation rules apply (no chasing, no touching). Outside the springs in Kings Bay proper, full SCUBA is permitted to look for manatees in the channels.