Underwater encounter with the manatees at Weeki Wachee
It’s not every day you get a private swim with a manatee. But this week, J.M. Kostallas, of Clearwater, did just that.
Kostallas, who owns Kostal Paddle, tells News Channel 8 he was on a paddle board tour exploring the Weeki Wachee Springs when he dove right in to say hi to the sea cows on Tuesday. He says he captured the underwater shots using a GoPro camera. The group spotted about 6 manatees and two calves during their trip.
Storm Team 8 Meteorologist Bryan Bennett says now is a good time to see the manatees in our nearby springs, as manatees seek warmer bodies of water in the “cooler” temperatures. He says the Gulf will warm up to near 75 in April and the manatees will disperse.