Homosassa Springs Webcam – Manatees Up Close Underwater

The Homosassa Springs Webcam looks into the main spring at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Citrus County, Florida, from a camera set below the waterline. Sunlight slants through clear water onto a weedy, rocky bottom, and fish cruise across the frame in loose groups. Manatees pass through as well: three live at the park all year, and in winter wild manatees come in from the Gulf to shelter in the spring. The second tab switches to an above-water camera aimed at the surface of the same spring, where trees and clouds reflect off the water and manatees rise to breathe. Save the Manatee Club runs both streams with the nature network explore.org, and the pair debuted in January 2020.

About Homosassa Springs

The park lies beside US 19 in Citrus County, about 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of the city of Crystal River, and it is one of the old Florida tourist attractions built around a first-magnitude spring. Visitors have come here since the early 1900s, when a railroad running along what is now Fishbowl Drive let passengers off to walk a short trail to the water. By the 1940s the spring was billed as Nature’s Giant Fish Bowl, and people looked down into it from an observation tower.

The Norris Development Company bought the original 50 acres (20 hectares) in 1964, along with 100 acres (40 hectares) around it. The land changed hands several times between 1978 and 1984 before the Citrus County Commission bought it as an environmentally sensitive area, holding it until the state could take it over as a state park. Its full name honors Elmyra Felburn Schiller, who lived from 1943 to 2009. The park’s best-known resident was Lu, a hippopotamus born at the San Diego Zoo on January 26, 1960, who died here on June 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

Today the park is a showcase for native Florida wildlife and a rehabilitation center for injured manatees. Three manatees that cannot be released, Ariel, Betsy and Electra, live here permanently and belong to Save the Manatee Club’s Adopt-A-Manatee program. The Fish Bowl, an underwater observatory, floats in the main spring so visitors can stand below the surface among the fish. The spring itself is closed to recreational use, so anyone seen swimming or diving on the Homosassa Springs Webcam is a park ranger or someone authorized by a partner agency.

Weather and Climate in Homosassa Springs

This stretch of the Gulf coast has a humid subtropical climate. Climate data for nearby Crystal River from 2015 to 2024 puts January highs at about 19 C (67 F) and lows around 10 C (50 F), while July and August highs average 31 C (88 F) with nights near 24 C (76 F). June through September is the wet season, and August is the wettest month at roughly 220 millimeters (8.7 inches). A summer storm can dim the underwater picture and dimple the surface on the above-water view.

Winter is manatee season. When the Gulf falls below about 20 C (68 F), manatees leave it for the springs along this coast, where the water stays warmer. On cold mornings wild manatees can crowd into the spring alongside the residents, and the underwater camera is at its busiest. Through spring and summer the wild animals disperse back into the rivers and the Gulf, and Ariel, Betsy and Electra carry the show. Save the Manatee Club picked this park for its cameras because manatees can be seen here all year, rather than mainly in winter as at Blue Spring.

Things to Do Near Homosassa Springs

The park has a Visitor Center on US 19, and from there a boat cruise runs down Pepper Creek to the Main Entrance. Inside, the Fish Bowl puts you eye to eye with manatees and schools of fish, and paths and boardwalks pass enclosures for Florida panthers, black bears, red wolves, bobcats, Key deer, otters, gray foxes, American alligators and crocodiles. Rangers feed the resident manatees lettuce four times a day, around 7:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm, and those feedings can show up on the cameras too.

Crystal River, 11 kilometers (7 miles) north on US 19, is the other half of Citrus County’s manatee coast. Its Three Sisters Springs belongs to the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, set up in 1983 as the only refuge created specifically to protect the threatened Florida manatee, and a boardwalk there lets you watch manatees without getting wet. Refuge programs run daily at Three Sisters Springs from November 15 to March 31. Closer to the park, the county’s visitor bureau keeps another live river cam at MacRae’s boat ramp on the Homosassa River, and in summer the Citrus County coast holds its scalloping season, a family underwater hunt for bay scallops.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More manatees and underwater views from Florida:

• Blue Spring Manatee Webcam
• Wahoo Bay Underwater Webcam
• Lower Florida Keys Underwater Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Homosassa Springs located?

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park is in Citrus County on Florida’s Gulf coast, beside US 19 at Homosassa, about 11 kilometers (7 miles) south of Crystal River.

What can you see on the Homosassa Springs Webcam?

The main view is underwater: clear, sunlit spring water over a weedy bottom, with fish passing and manatees drifting through. The above-water tab looks down on the surface of the spring, where manatees come up to breathe. Ranger feedings and the occasional authorized diver appear as well.

What is the weather like in Homosassa Springs?

Winters are mild and summers hot and wet. January averages about 19 C (67 F) by day and 10 C (50 F) at night, July and August reach about 31 C (88 F), and most of the year’s rain falls from June to September.

When is the best time to see manatees on the Homosassa Springs Webcam?

Winter brings the most animals, because wild manatees move into the spring when the Gulf turns cold. The three resident manatees are there all year, so a daytime visit in any season has a fair chance, especially around feeding times.

What time are the manatees fed at Homosassa Springs?

Park rangers feed the resident manatees several kinds of lettuce four times a day, around 7:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm Eastern time. The times can shift a little with programs, weather and routine care. Feeding wild manatees is illegal.

Can you swim with manatees at Homosassa Springs?

No. The spring is closed to recreational use, and people seen in the water on camera are rangers or staff from partner agencies. Manatee swims take place in Kings Bay at Crystal River instead, where the refuge asks for passive observation: no chasing, riding or grabbing the animals.

Who runs the Homosassa Springs manatee cameras?

Save the Manatee Club operates both cameras with explore.org, in partnership with Florida State Parks. They debuted on January 21, 2020.

Source: Save the Manatee Club