Scuba diving and snorkeling are big business in the Citrus County area due its more than 30 natural springs flowing at a constant temperature of about 72 degrees. Water recreationists are not the only ones who love the warm spring-fed waters in Kings Bay and Homosassa. The waterways provide a natural habitatfor approximately 25 percent of the nation’s endangered Florida manatee population. Though there are many restrictions about diving and playing with the gentle giants, the area offers a number of tours at local dive shops for getting as up close and personal as rules permit. The shops also offer plenty of information about the manatees, protective regulations and boating speed limits around the sanctuaries. The best time to view the giant mammals is from December through March, when manatees typically migrate to the warm spring waters to winter and feed on seagrasses around the area’s 46 acres of islands
and the Kings Bay waters. The mammals can only survive in water temperatures above 68
degrees for any extended period of time. The habitat is the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, charged with protecting the
endangered species. The wildlife service keeps close track of managee migration and conducts monthly aerial tours to count manatees in residence. Captive manatees can be observed at the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park seven miles south of Crystal River on U.S. 19, which also provides the famous “Fishbowl” underwater observatory for viewing not only manatees, but other marine life. Manatee grow as long as 12 feet and can weigh up to 3,500 pounds and they delight in swimming and resting in the area’s 600 million gallons of fresh water that flows daily from the springs. Because of this discharge amount, the Crystal River Springs group is the second largest springs group in Florida, the first being Spring Creek
Springs in Wakulla County near Tallahassee.