KANE ANTHONY

Overview

Let’s get it straight from the start. You will almost never be able to guarantee an encounter with a wild manatee every time you go looking. However, with these few tips, you won’t need to paddle the entire state to find them either.

Location

Manatees can be found in various Florida waterways, but for the purpose of this article, we’ll be focusing on finding manatees in larger waterways such as the intracoastal commercial shipping lanes around Port Everglades.

Ditch the Motor

Boat propellers are one of the main reason manatees reached the level of endangerment they were once at. Today, they’ve managed to be removed from the endangered species list and are now considered “vulnerable” so we highly recommend using a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard when looking for the gentle aquatic bovine, so they can continue their triumphant repopulation.

Finding Manatee Hangouts

In larger waterways, such as Port Everglades, the manatees are often driven to warmer areas. It’s not uncommon to find a group relaxing in shallow waters near powerplants as they enjoy the heated water washing back out from the plant.

Useful Tip

A great way to find general areas to search for manatees is by using Google Maps to spot them basking near the surface. Yes, they’re big enough to spot! Just switch to the satellite map view and start your own searches.