Plantation Inn Dive Shop

Manatee swim tour with capitan Ed was just about the best thing ever. Great fun, manatees up close and personal. This is a must.

Captain Ross was amazing! He was in the water, letting us know where to go and how to touch. Really taught you how to interact with the manatees, made sure you could touch and take a picture with one. Went to kinds spring for the encounters and interaction, then to three sisters to see that. King was superior. It was truly an excellent, wonderful experience! I couldn’t recommend this more. Plus, for $ 31, we got a DVD of our swim– which was great. Couldn’t recommend this more.

Five-​star experience with Captain Rhonda! This shop also has diving lessons, boat rentals and scallop tours. The shop is well equipped with gear and knowledgeable staff. Kings Spring was best for manatee sightings. Three Sisters Springs was best for a clear water experience.
This shop requires wet suits for buoyancy and it helps. For kids, add a noodle across their chest and underarms for extra stability. The colder the temps the more likely you will see manatee staying warm near the springs.

Gotta go with 5 stars for the manatee experience and 2 stars for the rainbow river trip. Balanced out at 3 stars. Took my family here to snorkel with the manatees. Stayed at the Plantation inn and thought it was great. Rooms were nice and the property was well maintained. We had 13 people and had 4 rooms. We weren’t out for luxury and would recommend this place as I thought for the money, it was perfect for our needs. The snorkeling with the manatees was simply awesome. Ronda was our guide and captain and her knowledge and enthusiasm for her job and the animals themselves was great. If you go here, ask for Ronda. My group had never done this before and were less than enthusiastic in the beginning. After a few min in the water with these amazing and gentle animals, they really began to enjoy it. Especially my 12 and 17 year old daughters. We were also signed up to do the scuba dive at the Rainbow River. I have to agree with a few other reviewers, leave the scuba gear and just snorkel. Most areas of the river are only about 8 – 10 ft deep and while the water is very clear, it is freshwater so don’t expect a reef dive. We went during the busiest time of year for dive operators and they seemed unprepared for the volume of people. Very disorganized and not well planned. We waited on the dock for nearly 2.5 hours once we got to the rainbow river as they had to take a larger group, that appeared to have never been near a boat before, upriver first and come back for us. I wish the boat captains had been more assertive getting this group on the boats as they seemed to just lounge around putting on their wetsuits for 45 min before leaving the dock. That was pretty disappointing and a terrible waste of valuable vacation time. Jon the dive skip did a good job once we got going but it felt like they «overbooked a flight and we got bumped». Not good for reservations made almost 6 months in advance. I have to say, that I was so disappointed i spoke to the dive shop manager upon our return and provided my feedback. He spoke to his employee for the complete story and then called my room (wasn’t expecting that), apologized and ensured me this was out of the norm. He explained that it was an issue with the group ahead of us and he was doing his best to accommodate everyone on their busiest time if year. I appreciated him making us whole with a few t-​shirts that my daughters and father in law very much appreciated. All in all, the shop was clean, the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable and the pricing was fair. I’d do it again and skip rainbow river dive (worth a snorkel though).

Had a great experience with the manatees, but overall was disappointed in the Plantation Inn Dive Shop.
We were wanting to snorkel with the manatees at a time other than a weekend morning when every other person in Crystal River was in the water, so we asked about chartering a private boat. After inquiring with the shop on a few different approaches to make the most of our manatee experience, the staff seemed determined to stick us on the cattle boat. Against our better judgement, we went along with their suggestion and it was even more disappointing than we were expecting. We paid way too much and received too little.
So we tried another shop in Crystal River a few days later and the manatee experience was incredible! If you want a shop who seems to care about your manatee experience go to Bird’s Underwater:
320 NW Hwy. 19
Crystal River, FL 34 429
(352) 563‑2763

Loved these guys! Nice and friendly, the hotel/​inn is gorgeous– totally remodeled and a scenic walk takes you to the dive shop. Half day manatee snorkel with a very knowledgable captain from Maine. Great guy, incredible experience! I’ve scuba dived the galapagos, The carribean and years in California and the manatees were just as special as any whale shark, coral reef or kelp forest!

Forget your SCUBA stuff and stick to snorkeling!
There is a small cave to explore, but not really worth it.
This place is all about the manatees!
Book a guided tour to the Kings Spring and the 3 Sisters Spring and prepare yourself for an unreal experience!