Crystal Water Revival

What we oceanic dreamers, Felix and I, expected in Crystal River was this: crystal clear water, and many manatees. We saw manatees, yes, only two, a mom and her calf, unfortunately in muddy waters, but at the spring of the river we were able to dive in water so clear we actually had the sensation of flowing weightlessly in liquid space...

There, where Crystal River wells up from under the ground, we found no manatees but an underwater scenery of a strangely surreal beauty only a poet could perhaps adequately describe. I am not a poet; I am a photographer, and all I could do was trying to frame what I saw applying the basic rules of a well composed image.

Swimming with manatees is an experience ocean divers will never forget: 'sea cows' have got to be the most gentle aquatic creatures. Operators urge visitors not to touch the sluggish animals - and while Felix and I just could not hold back stroking their backs once, we thought it was right to leave the manatees alone and just watch them.

The fun did not last long, however, as some 15 other snorkelers arrived on the spot only to do what we did: trying to get to the animals as close as possible which was just too much for the manatee mom and her kid - they left the scene and quickly vanished into the impenetrable mist of the greenish waters.

Tibu was with us and could only watch us snorkeling this time; we had to promise him to come back once he feels grown-up enough to face the ultimate challenge for a land-lubber Weimaraner: dive into the wet unknown...