Manatees!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the Tampa Electric Company Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach is not only open, it%26#39;s already crowded with manatees basking in the warm water from the power plant.

I stopped by today to see the status, and the employees there told me that they%26#39;ve had counts as high as 50 manatees in the channel already this year -- it%26#39;s pretty early for the counts to be that high. (for comparison, she said early February of 07 was their record --- 354 manatees jammed shoulder-to-shoulder in the output canal -- that%26#39;s almost 10% of the reported population in the whole state!)

There are plenty of volunteers on hand to talk about manatees, including a hands-on display of manatee bones, and a small museum featuring a short film and loads of information about manatees, the West Coast manatee environment, and TECO%26#39;s efforts to make the sanctuary a safe place for manatees, shore birds, and game fish alike. (The game fish come into the canal for the warm water, too -- today I saw enormous schools of huge tarpon lolling about in the canal)

There%26#39;s lots of discussions about conservation, and keeping the manatees safe and thriving.

There%26#39;s a 900-foot boardwalk out through the mangrove estuary, with plenty of signage explaining what you%26#39;re looking at, as well as a snack bar and a small picnic area.

Best of all? It%26#39;s all absolutely free, except for the snack bar and gift shop, of course. Makes a fantastic trip for the whole family, and it%26#39;s only 15 miles south of downtown Tampa -- an easy drive from nearly anywhere in the Bay area.

Manatees!

Hey Sunshine. I believe I recognize you from the London forum! :)

The TECO manatee center is pretty neat! I used to live down there in Apollo Beach and drive by it all the time, finally deciding to swing by and check it out and had a blast. Way better than seeing manatees at Sea World(s)!

Manatees!

Isn%26#39;t there also a place just like this in the Punta Gorda/Cape Coral area where they congregate due to the warmer water?

A

We%26#39;ve been living ';in the area%26#39; for over 20 years and never went to see them. I%26#39;m going to make it a point to go before they start charging. LOL. Thanks for the heads-up.

How long do the Mantees stay in the area?? We will be in the area in March and it sounds really interesting!

Thanks

The viewing center is open through April so maybe the manatees stay until then. There%26#39;s a webcam on the website, but I couldn%26#39;t get it to come up a few minutes ago.

To find the website, Google for: manatees tampa electric.

mom3boyz, if the weather is still cool in March you will see manatees. We went today, but the weather was awful - for the manatees to want to come into the waterway. It was hot and sunny, with temps. around 84F. The guide said it was too warm for the manatees to want to come in out of the bay, but we did see three in the distance and they broke the surface quite a few times giving us a better view.

What we did see, which was totally unexpected, were some huge tarpon swimming close by the viewing platform. The largest must have been at least 5 feet if not close to 6 feet. So it wasn%26#39;t a total disappointment not seeing a lot of manatees.

The center is open through Easter Weekend -- after that, the water%26#39;s warm enough that the manatees go back out to their usual hangouts.

We%26#39;re supposed to get a cold front this weekend that should drop the temperatures quite a bit -- which will bring the manatees back.

Heehee -- remember, that awful weather for seeing manatees is pretty nice weather!

Here%26#39;s the %26#39;official%26#39; link, if anyone%26#39;s looking for it:

http://www.tampaelectric.com/manatee/

As of this morning (12/19), the water temperature in Tampa Bay has plummeted to 64F -- the manatees will be hightailing it to the power plant refuges!

As a rule of thumb, 70F is usually the tipping point -- when the water is warmer than 70, they head back out into the bay -- below 70 and they%26#39;re looking for a warm place to hang out.

Years and years ago, long before the viewing center was opened, it was legal to fish in the outflow canal (it%26#39;s now been roped off, as it%26#39;s not really sporting!)

We didn%26#39;t fish, but would slowly putter up and down the canal looking over the side -- it was simply amazing...every species of fish you could imagine is packed into the canal to stay warm. Watching the ';fish finder'; was really cool -- it was often just a field of black spots showing the shoals of fish.