Blue Heaven River Tours

Yesterday's swim with the manatees with Blue Heaven River Tours was amazing. My wife did the research, and we were not disappointed with our day out. Wyn- the owner- did alarm us when he called 2 days before the tour to warn us that the recent warmer weather may drive the manatees further downstream and may make seeing them difficult, we were concerned...but these wonderful creatures do not plan their day around our arrival, so it was understood and, to some degree, appreciated.

This did not come to pass, and manatees were dutifully upstream, right where they should be.

Swimming with a manatee is an awesome experience. They are, as Captain Ron said, like big puppy dogs...but gentler, and they don't chew on things, like me. They are curious, friendly, and to some degree, love attention. One even rolled over on his belly to get petted there, like my dog, but in the water. When I got in the water and started heading towards the rest of the family, I was surrounded by 3 manatees...very cool, although a strange experience...glad they weren't sharks. Wonderful, beautiful creatures.

Captain Wyn met us at the dock, got us in wetsuits, and left us in the care of Captain Ron, who was informative, safety-conscious, and great at navigating on the river. The boat has a small bathroom and is safe for cell phones, etc. and was clean. Wetsuits and snorkeling masks/snorkels were provided, as well as a pool noodle to help with floatation. I brought a GoPro, and got some great footage. Captain Ron also took cell photos and sent to my wife. Very helpful.

After 2 hours in the 72 degree water, we were all cold and water logged. Wet suits were peeled off, and Ron took us on a quick ride down to see Monkey Island, a pretty interesting river feature.

A great day out with one of nature's most gentle, interesting creatures. Highly recommend Blue Heaven, and may come back for a scalloping tour on a subsequent visit!

Captain Wyn took me, my husband and a couple friend of ours out scalloping. Granted I didn't book the tour so I can't speak to that end but Captain was knowledgeable, friendly, easy to talk to and ensured we got a good catch by taking us to diff spots for scallops! He was knowledgeable on the area, and even took us around monkey island after our tour bc we asked nicely :) he definitely didn't have to do that so it was much appreciated. He found us some folks to shuck our scallops (for a fee) and recommended good spots to eat while we waited for them to be done. I probably could have figured that out myself but dockside drop off and not having to give it a thought was much appreciated.

He had good qualitt snorkels, masks and fins to use if you don't have your own and had defogger and sanitizer on board. There were 2 coolers aboard, one for our drinks and one to keep fresh catch in. Literally everything was taken care of!

We thought hubby lost his sunglasses off the boat and were packing up after the tour and he had found them doing a final sweep and ran them up to us in the parking lot. Also seems parking can get pretty bad down there but there was no issue using spots where he has his boat parked.

We will definitely use Blue Heaven charters again :)

What a wonderful experience! We had a great time with captain D, and the manatees. The boat is super nice and clean, and they even have a heater on board to help us warm up fast after the swim. The owner is super friendly throughout, from before booking inquiries, to phone calls and texts before boarding.
Manatees are simply the best water animal. They are so relaxed and gentle. Homosassa is one of the very few places on earth where people can interact with manatees. This is something all should treasure!

What an amazing tour company!! We booked a private 2 person tour to swim with the manatees and it was perfect! The owner reached out the night before the tour to let us know everything we needed to know and was kind enough to upgrade us to a bigger boat! Captain Ron was awesome and we saw so many manatees. He was extremely knowledgeable and seemed to really care about the animals which was important to us! He even took pictures of us in the water which was so thoughtful. Do not hesitate to book with them!! Their prices for a private tour were unbeatable and worth every penny!

We spent the day with Captain Ron on the 20ft pontoon boat for a manatee tour and had the BEST time! Captain Wyn (the owner) met us at the boat and personally welcomed and thanked us for being there. He admitted up front that it was warm and manatees would be tough to find (which is totally understandable). But Captain Ron found lots of manatees and told us exactly what to do once we were out on the water. The wet suits and snorkel gear they gave us were good quality and we loved being in the water. This is an awesome experience and the fact that Blue Heaven is only doing private tours due to covid is wonderful. My husband and I enjoyed our time together and highly recommend choosing Blue Heaven. It's away from the more touristy spots and you can enjoy more of the river/springs by yourself instead of in big crowds!

Great experience scalloping! Captain Ron knew all the best spots and pointed out things along the way. Would definitely recommend!

Fantastic experience with Blue Heaven River Tours all around. Captain Wynn was very helpful in finding the best tour option for our group of 3. He was extremely communicative prior to our trip and the day of so we knew exactly what to bring, where to meet, and what to expect. I liked the location a lot; it seemed a lot more private than Crystal River (at least from what I can tell from photos). Captain Ron took us out on the smallest pontoon in the fleet. He not only was an expert navigating through shallow waters, but also was extremely knowledgeable of the area and the wildlife. He pointed out spider monkeys, turkey vultures, skate, snook, snappers, bass, needlefish, emus, and an eagle. And let's not forget the manatees! Despite the overcast weather and recent warmer weather, he managed to find us 9 manatees (including a mom and baby). He's got quite the eye when it comes to spotting them! Once we were in the water, he was so helpful in navigating which way to swim so we'd cross paths with manatees. I cannot recommend Captain Ron, Captain Wynn, and Blue Heaven River Tours enough; they far exceeded our expectations!

We enjoyed our tour with Captain Duane. He took us to the perfect spot to swim with manatees and he was enjoyable to talk he. He told the best dad joke I've ever heard (I won't ruin it) and he gave us lots of great info about the area. Highly recommend this touring company!

I had a Manatee Tour scheduled but Tropical Storm Eta was making her way up through Florida. I got a timely and friendly phone call the day before with a full refund!

CLASS ACT!!! Next time we're in Florida, I know where we're going

We (my girlfriend & I) went on a "semi - private" tour this morning with Capt. Wyn for scallops and needless to say he put us in the PERFECT location(s) and we limited out within two hours..! This was our 3rd time scalloping here in Homosassa and this was by far the BEST experience and outcome we've had yet.!! Once we were done scalloping we heading back in on the Homosassa River and came across a pod of dolphins which was super awesome to get to see. We rode up the river over to Monkey Island and to the springs then back to the dock to unload the boat.

I spoke to Capt. Wyn on the phone multiple times (yesterday before booking) and each time he was super polite and took the time to answer all my questions about the tour and what was included. I felt that choosing Capt. Wyn was going to be a good choice and I'm glad we did because he made this trip beyond amazing.

**I highly recommend Capt. Wyn for anyone and everyone who is looking for a scalloping charter, river tour, or wants to swim with the manatees..! We will be using him again in the future that's for sure..!**