• Look but do not touch. Do not feed them or give them water. If manatees become accustomed to being around people, it may alter their behavior.
• Don't pursue or chase a manatee while you are swimming, diving, boating, snorkeling.
• Never poke, prod or stab a manatee with anything.
• Do not isolate or single out an individual manatee, don't separate a calf from it's mother.
• Do not attempt to snag, hook, hold, grab, pinch, or ride a manatee.
• Avoid excessive noise when around manatees, it may cause them to leave the area.
• When swimming around them use snorkel gear the sounds of bubbles from scuba gear may cause them to leave.
• Do not enter areas designated as "No Entry" Manatee Refuge

When Boating or Skiing:

• Abide by the posted speed zone signs while in areas known to have manatees present.
• Wear polarized sunglasses to reduce glare on the surface of the water. This will help you to see manatees more clearly.
• Try to stay in deep-water channels. Manatees can be found in shallow, slow moving rivers, estuaries, lagoons, and coastal areas.
• Don't boat over seagrass beds and shallow areas.
• Stay about 50 feet from a sighted manatee.
• Water ski in areas that manatees do not use (land-locked lakes).
• Don't throw your trash into the water (fishing line, hooks, beer cans, paper). Manatees can become intangled or eat the trash and die or have limbs cut off