Magic manatees

John Bobel · Issue 8, Aug/Sep 2002 · pp. 25–28

Products mentioned: Nikon N-90S, Aquatica Housing, Nikon 17-35mm F/2.8, Nikonos V, Nikonos 20mm, Nikon SB 104 strobe, ProviaF film

“We’re on reduced circumstances.” These pitiful words, lifted from Sense and Sensibility were our mantra last winter as we planned our vacation. We normally spend a few weeks in the Caribbean. Me swimming with the fishes and she reading on the beach. But in this year of the U.S. recession it was not to be. It was I that cooked up the scheme of a 2,000 mile round trip driving vacation to Florida, ostensibly so we could visit relatives and friends. I waxed poetic about those wonderful warm Floridian nights, reunions with long lost relatives and as an added bonus there would be no paring down the luggage the night before departure. “Just think, you can take all the shoes you want, darling”. Of course the rosy picture I painted had ulterior motives dripping from every word. I was finally going to swim with the manatees. A search on the Internet revealed several commercial manatee tour compan…