Cooler temps mean more manatees at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City
ORANGE CITY — Cooler temperatures this week in Volusia County again will offer prime viewing opportunities of manatees returning to the warmer waters of Blue Spring State Park.
Here’s what you need to know:
How many manatees have been spotted at Blue Spring in recent days?
Daily manatee counts topped 100 this past weekend at the park, west of U.S. Highway 17-92 on French Avenue in Orange City, according to park officials and the Save the Manatee Club. The total jumped from 49 on Friday to 106 on Saturday, 120 on Sunday and 134 on Monday.
Among them were Annie and Moo Shoo, two adoptees of the nonprofit Save the Manatee Club identified by the organization’s representatives. Both spotted in the area by the park’s aluminum overlook, a good vantage point for visitors, according to a post on the organization’s Facebook page.
More adoptees are expected through the week, the organization stated.
Are more manatees on the way to Blue Spring?
Rising daily manatee counts are expected to continue with forecasts that call for nighttime lows in the 40s at least through midweek, said Connor Wagner, park services specialist.
“If the low temperatures stay in the 40s, the numbers will start going up daily,” he said. “You can definitely expect numbers to rise in next couple of days if we’re having temperatures in 40s as forecast. There’s a goof chance the total will increase in chunks every day.”
How cold is it expected to get this week?
Nighttime lows are expected to dip into the 40s through Wednesday in Volusia County, said John Pendergrast, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
“The coldest night will be on Tuesday,” Pendergrast said, when lows are forecast to reach 46.
Inland, in areas that range from DeLand toward the Ocala National Forest, some temperatures could drop into the upper 30s, he said. Things will start to warm up on Thursday and into the weekend, with nighttime lows in the upper 60s.
Why do manatees flock to Blue Spring?
The spring run is federally protected and closed to recreation during manatee season, which runs from mid-November to March, as the marine mammals flock to the 72-degree waters when temperatures drop. The St. John's River was a chilly 68 degrees over the weekend, according to Save the Manatee Club, but manatees can swim into the river for short periods during cold weather to feed.
Will this week’s influx approach record numbers?
Not even close.
The park’s record daily count is 729 manatees, a total logged on Jan. 17, 2023. That beat the previous record of 721 set Jan. 29, 2022.
What are tips for visiting the park to see manatees?
Blue Spring State Park, 2100 W. French Ave. in Orange CIty, is open from 8 a.m.-sundown daily.
Admission at the gate is $4 for single-occupant vehicle, $6 for per vehicle of 2-8 people, $2 for pedestrians, bicyclists.
If the park reaches capacity during winter manatee season, it remains open to visitors on a one-in, one-out basis. Biggest crowds typically arrive between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when waits can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the day.
On weekends, rangers advise that it’s best to arrive before 10 a.m. or later in the day, between 2 and 3 p.m. It usually takes about 30 to 90 minutes to view the manatees.
“Anyone who is able to come on a weekday, they definitely should do that if they don’t want to wait in any lines, if they want to have the most peaceful experience,” Wagner said.
Visit floridastateparks.org for more Blue Spring information.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Manatees return to Blue Spring State Park amid cooler temperatures
