Do not
pursue or chase a manatee when you encounter while you're swimming,
snorkeling, diving or operating a boat.
Never poke,
prod or stab a manatee with your hands, feet or any object.
If a manatee
avoids you, you should avoid it.
Give
manatees space to move. Don't isolate or single out an individual manatee
from its group, and don't separate a cow and her calf. Even a few moments of
separation could result in loss of communication which could be fatal.
Don't
attempt to snag, hook, hold, grab, pinch or ride a manatee.
Please
respect these gentle giants, there one and only threat is human.
Use snorkel
gear when attempting to watch manatees. The sound of bubbles from SCUBA gear
may cause manatees to leave the area.
Float at the
surface of the water to passively observe the manatees.
Fines up to
$100,000 can occur if the rules are ignored.
It is your
duty to report any harassment or misfortune of these awesome creatures.
To report manatee harassment,
injuries, deaths or orphaned calves, please contact the FWC Resource
Protection hotline at
