Banana Island Location: Crystal River, Florida Day 7 by Karen Brown

We paddled away from King's Bay Lodge bright and early in the morning. We paddled past the place where we turn to go to Three Sisters, past Buzzard Island, and on to Banana Island. We anchored our kayaks in the shallow water just outside the wildlife sanctuary. (We have small, purple metal anchors with yellow rope.) I saw three manatees in the bay very close to my kayak.

Since I was alreaady wearing my wetsuit, I slipped quietly into the water and stood on a big flat rock. The water came up to my chest. I reached into the kayak and put on my mask and snorkel, my fins, and my weight belt (with one 2-pound weight on it.) I reached for the digital camera in the housing and quietly snorkeled in search of manatees.

I couldn't find any! I knew there were some around because I had just seen them a few minutes ago. Wayne couldn't find any either. We were disappointed but we always have fun and find interesting things to look at wherever we go. So we found a school of fish and I had fun swimming through them while Mr. Brown took my picture. Then he found a blue crab and I took his picture holding the blue crab.

Then finally a young manatee swam over to us and rolled over so we could scratch its tummy and then its back and then its tummy again. We played with that manatee for a long time. Soon several more manatees came around. Some stayed and let the snorkelers scratch and pet them. Some came in and looked around and left again.

By this time Wayne ran out of film. It is not easy to change film on the kayak, so he asked permission to change the film on board a special boat that was there at Banana Island. The boat is owned by a company called Bird's Underwater. The owners of the company are Mr. & Mrs. Oestreich. (Mr. Oestreich's nickname is "Bird"). They take tourists and visitors out on their boat so the people can snorkle with manatees. Karen met some of the people on Bird's boat and one of them was a girl named Maria who was visiting from Pennsylvania. It was her first time to see manatees and she really was enjoying it! (Click on Manatee People to see her picture and learn more about Maria.)

After we said good-bye to Maria, we snorkeled around and found a manatee eating some plants that were growing on the rope that floats on top of the water and marks the sanctuary area. Then we found another manatee, sleeping with his face smooshed on a big flat rock on the bottom. We quietly took his picture without disturbing him.

It is so much fun to watch manatees, no matter what they are doing. They aren't afraid of us so they just go about their business while we watch. If they want to be scratched they let us know by swimming very close to us and then rolling over. They even close their eyes sometimes while we are scratching them, as though they are relaxing and loving all the attention we are giving them. It is so much fun to be in the water with manatees!

Pretty soon it was time to go but Wayne had one more stop to make on the way back to the Lodge. I followed on my kayak as he paddled in a little inlet to Banana Island. He got out of his kayak and stepped into muck about 12 inches deep. I decided I did not want to get into all of that yucky mud so I stayed in my kayak and waited for him to come back from his little walk. We paddled a little further and found a slightly drier area to stop and get out.

We walked on to Banana Island. I felt like we were going through a very thick forest, almost like a jungle. There were lots of tall trees with Spanish moss on them. I didn't see any animals except for a great egret a little distance away. But it was fun to explore the island and to be at a place that very few people visit.

At King Spring I am next to a floating buoy that marks the edge of the manatee sanctuary. Manatees can come across the our side, but we are not allowed to go across into the manatees' side.

I am swimming through a big school of fish, called snappers. There are hundreds of fish in this school! These fish were just floating at the opening to the underwater spring.

Wayne found this crab trying to hide on the bottom. It is called a blue crab because of blue on the underside of its claws. People in Crystal River love to eat these crabs!

This female manatee is feeding on some plants growing the sanctuary marker rope.

This manatee is taking a siesta. (Notice how they sleep, with their faces smooshed on the bottom like a pillow.) 

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