Every winter a very special phenomenon occurs in certain areas of Florida—the manatees swim to warmer waterways. One of the parks where you can observe this, is a park called Blue Spring State Park. It is considered one of the largest winter gathering sites for manatees in Florida. It is located in Orange City.
Last month, Florida’s Blue Spring State Park recorded 932 manatees on a single day. The manatees all huddled together for warmth specifically on January 21, 2024.
Manatees come in from the ocean to waterways that have temperatures around 68-72 degrees. They have a sluggish metabolism and thin layer of fat, so seek warmth. Blue Spring’s waters are around 72 degrees all year long because of the underground spring that feeds it.
Wildlife experts estimate that there are between 8350 and 11,700 manatees in Florida.
They are peaceful to watch and easy to view in Florida’s clear blue waterways.
We got a chance to see the manatees at Blue Spring State Park firsthand a few weeks ago and enjoyed the beauty of viewing them swimming slowly together in the waterways and near the spring.
Blue Spring State Park has a long boardwalk along the water for easy viewing.