Blue Spring Manatees

This live underwater camera streams from Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida — one of the most important warm-water refuges for the Florida manatee. Blue Spring pours out a constant 72°F, and when the adjacent St. Johns River turns cold each winter, hundreds of manatees crowd into the spring run to stay warm. The underwater cam puts you right in the spring among them, with anhingas, gar, tilapia, and the occasional alligator passing through the crystal-clear water. Manatee season runs roughly mid-November through March, peaking on the coldest mornings when counts can top 700 animals — a remarkable recovery for a species that was once critically endangered. The cam is most active in daylight; explore.org runs both this underwater view and an above-water companion. Florida is on Eastern Time, six hours ahead of Hawaii, so peak morning manatee activity lands overnight HST. Run in partnership with explore.org and the Save the Manatee Club, Blue Spring is a designated manatee refuge and a conservation success story. In summer the manatees disperse and the spring becomes a famously clear swimming and snorkeling spot.