Elvis and the Manatees

Text by Karen Sweeney Photos by Gregory Sweeney

Back in 1962, the quiet, unpopulated, unspoiled region attracted the movie's producers because it fit their story of the travelling Kwimper family who are out to improve their lives by settling on a homestead claim. In this funny movie that makes you feel all is right in the world, the family must triumph over evils such as authorities trying to oust them and a travelling mafia gambling palace. The setting made for a dreamy idyllic backdrop, but Elvis and the other cast members apparently had some trouble adjusting to all the aspects of life in coastal Florida.

The weather in Florida was very humid and Elvis relaxed between shooting the beach scenes in his air conditioned white Cadillac. Later, the heat was so bad that during the shooting of the courthouse scene Elvis had to change his shirt twenty-two times. Also a nuisance were thousands of crickets who made so much noise that some scenes for the movie had to be re-shot several times as the buzzing sound drowned out the dialogue.

Florida's famous tarpon fishing was featured in the movie, but Crystal River's most famous residents did not make it into the picture. These days Elvis's visit and the movie are mostly forgotten and it is the manatee's turn to be the star attraction. Many dive operators lead groups on educational snorkel trips to see the manatees. They are especially popular with school groups and families.

Hidden behind a small island is a spring named for the famous guest: the King Spring. On a cold winter morning this spring has been known to host 150 manatees. On the morning of our manatee encounter we left by canoe. We paddled until we reached the Three Sisters Springs so named because there are 3 springs surrounded by moss covered Cyprus trees. Part of it is roped off as a sanctuary, but the dozen or more manatees in the spring will come out to graze and visit the humans.

I don't need any scuba today. The canal and springs are no more than 2m deep except in some springs which could be 4m deep. Many divers are trained in this spring or other similar ones, but the bubbles (or any loud noise) tend to scare the manatees. Snorkelling gear with a weight belt is all that is required for good encounter with the manatees.

As soon as we get into the water, a baby manatee heads straight for us. We are the first people to visit the sanctuary today and he is anxious for a good rubbing or a fin to chew on. Soon other manatees drift over to us for a scratch, some rolling over for a belly rub. A mother manatee makes clicking sounds to call her young back to her. Other individuals are fast asleep with their snouts buried in the soft sand bottom. I observe that they seemingly can come up for air without waking. They are not camera shy at all. I am in awe of my encounter: these are the largest animals I have had the pleasure of diving with and they are so accepting of my company and graceful despite their dimensions. The springs are wonderful places to photograph. The white sand bottom and azure blue crystal clear water give a unique character to the pictures. As the morning fades, a pontoon boat with a group of parents and children arrives at the site. The passengers are awkward in their wetsuits and fins, but display excitement, caution, and wonderment while having their first manatee encounter

After seeing the movie Follow That Dream, I believe Elvis must have spent some time with manatees while on location in Crystal River and used some of their characteristics to develop his character for the movie. For instance, he mimicked their lethargic manner as a way to cope with the heat and humidity: Elvis performs most of the musical numbers flat on his back including the rocking title tune. The effect was a little ridiculous; I expected a bit more hip gyrations from my first Elvis movie.

Manatees are not considered to be very intelligent. Their brain anatomy backs up this claim in that it lacks many of the folds found in intelligent mammals such as dolphin. Elvis borrowed this trait beautifully for his character Toby; his idiocy catalyzing most of the humour in this film. The character proclaims himself to have "only the smarts of a grasshopper". Perhaps Elvis wished to pay tribute to his manatee companions, but had to change the line because most 1960's viewers would not have known what a manatee is.

The character Toby is very adverse to the attention of girls and recites multiplication tables until the girls get bored and leave. Perhaps his inspiration for this trait was also from the manatees. They can not recite math, but they only give birth every 2 to 5 years. Both manatees and Elvis are mammals and have hair, but Elvis's is better and he keeps his whiskers clipped. One difference is that he can out sing a manatee lying down and he does several times in the movie. The average manatee ranges between 2.75 to 3.00 m long and weighs 460 kg and they live 60 years or more. Manatees can eat 10 – 15% of their body weight daily, but Elvis didn't seem to think this would fit his character. Elvis' character can be summed up as a big, dumb, harmless, loveable, slow-moving, very cute hunk: just like a manatee.

Manatees are endangered, photogenic, and easy to photograph because of the way they react around humans. Crystal River is a great place to experience the magic of springs and manatees. My knowledge of these creatures increased as did my sympathy for them as I observed their behaviour first hand. Many people including myself are affected spiritually by our memorable personal encounters with the manatees. Through their encounters in the springs people are leaving with lessons about the vulnerability and conservation needs of these utterly defenceless mammals and going on to support further research and conservation efforts. If the manatees could talk I think they would say (with a hint of Elvis in their voice) "Thank you, Thank you very much"