Paddle: Homosassa River

On Sunday our friends Wayne and Lynda relocated from Ocala National Forest down to Silver Lake Recreation Area and joined our friends Bob and Donna, and Bob and Cheryl. On Sunday afternoon we drove over there to visit and to plan some more paddling trips. After discussing several paddling options, it occurred to us that we have lately undergone a fairly severe cold snap here. When it gets cold the manatees come into the warm waters of the Florida springs. Homosassa Springs is one of their favorites, so that clinched it. We would paddle at Homosassa.

Today we put in at a public ramp a mile or two below the spring. The paddle from the ramp to the spring was pretty dull as we passed along houses, resorts and marinas. But when we approached the spring, it was all worth it. First we saw something very unusual. We saw what looked like a tsunami coming straight for us. There were about a dozen large waves that suddenly appeared and, after a few seconds, just as quickly disappeared. A volunteer manatee watcher later explained that there was a female manatee who was "in the mood". The lady manatee apparently had chosen a suitor and the losers got exited and went on a manatee stampede. Very exciting. When we got to the manatee area there were manatees EVERYWHERE! Homosassa Spring is actually located within a state wildlife preserve. There are barriers to prevent the wild manatees from entering the spring, so they hang out just beyond the spring run. We were able to paddle among them as they swam by, around and under our boats. After playing with the manatees for about an hour, we paddled over to Margarita Grill, tied off our boats and had a very nice lunch. After lunch we paddled a short distance up the Halls River and then returned to the ramp.