First Magnitude Florida

Crystal River is the crown jewel of the Nature Coast. Deep and cold, blue and clear, wild yet domesticated, the beautiful and alluring waterways of Crystal River offer the best opportunity to show off Florida’s west coast springs.

Weeki Wachee, Chassahowitzca, and Homosassa are certainly no slouches – and my opinion may be hotly contested by locals – but Crystal River is tough to rival as the best place in the area to introduce someone to the springs of Florida. For the city dwellers of Tampa Bay, Crystal River is a relatively close destination (1.5hrs) which makes for a great “Weekend Warrior” outing for those of us maneuvering keyboards and mouses on the daily, from 9am to 5pm.

Crystal River boasts one of largest spring groups in the world, yet still affords families and newbies the calm, unintimidating chance to dive into relatively shallow springs with sandy bottoms. The Three Sisters collection of springs, photographed above, is a natural display of blues and greens which must have been as inviting to Native American inhabitants as it is to tourists today.

Three Sisters Springs are only about 15 feet deep, allowing novices the chance to see the vents up close. My co-adventurer was able to show off some diving skills and explore the world below, plunging towards the outward flow of water, large mullet and small children scattering out of her path. The full beauty of the Nature Coast is at your fingertips here, in this important and vibrant ecosystem.

It is great to know people in high places. My sweet aunt (who is an avid reader of First Magnitude Florida) visited with us and allowed low-cost (free) rental of a double kayak. From her house on the river, a short paddle took us to Three Sisters for that summer-time dip – that dip which rattles you back to life after 40 hours of screen time and phone calls. We dove, snorkeled, played, snapped photographs, and cooled off.

Several places along the river offer house viewing in lieu of nature, which is a fun pastime as well for leisurely paddling and vocal day dreaming with your paddling partner. While day dreaming about waterfront home ownership in your rental canoe, it is best to shop around and speak a little ridiculously to keep yourself feeling on top of the world. “Babe, I love that house too, but look at the boat – you have to factor that in as well.”

Babe: “What’s wrong with the boat?”

Me: “Oh, well nothing it’s a nice boat, it just looks like they cheaped out on the motor – you see how they just have a single 300hp Yamaha on there? That puppy could clearly handle a double 300hp set up at least.”

Babe: “Oh, is that really a big deal?” (Silly question, I know…..)

Me: “Babe you have to consider the fishing time lost – prime feeding time is a short window so you don’t want to waste any time cruising from honey hole to honey hole. Might as well power up and get there quick.”

Me: “Again, not a huge deal, obviously, but I think we should keep looking before we make any offers, you know?”

Babe: “Yeah I guess you’re right. It doesn’t have a pool either. Let’s keep paddling.”

As an individual with a net worth teetering back and forth between red and black, this is a very fun activity and highly recommended.

Beyond the Three Sisters springs, a journey into King’s Bay offers some broader nature viewing and the chance for more random wildlife encounters, such as dolphins. King’s Bay is expansive relative to most of Florida’s first magnitude freshwater springs and rivers. The bay is serviced by approximately 41 springs, mostly unnoticeable from the surface. You feel as though entering a salty bay instead of a spring-fed river; completely different from the shallow, narrow twists offered at Weeki Wachee or Ichetucknee.

The Bay is the engine that drives Crystal River, allowing freshwater to flow out into the Gulf of Mexico. Florida’s aquifer vents up to the surface year around here, making King’s Bay a very large First Magnitude spring group. If you are a Lewis & Clark type visitor with adventure in the blood, paddle along the marshy edges and dream of chucking your cellphone overboard to adopt to the lifestyle of a liveaboard sailboat captain.

Crystal River is closely associated with the endangered sea cows known as manatees. The 72-degree year-round temperature of King’s Bay offers manatees “warm” water refuge during the winter months. Crystal River is noted as the most important manatee sanctuary in the United States, with hundreds of the animals visiting each year and sparking tourism in the region.

Thanks to this blog’s first collaboration effort, below are two great pictures of the gentle creatures captured by fellow spring enthusiasts and photographers:

Crystal River, like all of Florida’s springs, is not without its ailments. The use of lawn fertilizers, poor agricultural practices, and leaking septic tanks in the watershed has caused a spike in nitrate levels. The overabundance of such nutrients causes algae blooms and spurs lyngbya, which is a cyanobacteria toxic to manatees and humans. To address such issues, the Kings Bay Phyto-Remediation Demonstration Project started in 2012 and published a report in 2016. It is a terrific report with photographs which rival those found in this blog post and presents easy-to-digest scientific findings related to Crystal River. Interestingly for you adventure seekers, a map of all 41 named springs in King’s Bay can be found in the report as well – maybe you can find them all in real life!

The fantastic interaction with Florida’s unique spring systems and it’s inhabitants offered through Crystal River is a true blessing to the Nature Coast. Enjoy a responsible visit, snorkel the springs, observe the manatees, and daydream about river living or sailboat pirating – you will find a good time.