Manatees in the Lowcountry: When and Where to Spot These Gentle Giants
Manatees enjoy the Lowcountry much like human visitors do.
Story by Chelsea Quinn
It starts with a ripple. Then a snout breaks the surface, followed by the rounded back of one of the Lowcountry’s most surprising summer visitors: the West Indian manatee.
Between May and September these massive marine mammals slowly make their way up the coast from Florida, stopping in places like Broad Creek, Shelter Cove Harbour & Marina, Harbour Town Yacht Basin and local docks. They come, eat their fill of aquatic plants, sip freshwater from runoff sources and sometimes give lucky locals a glimpse of their gentle, barrel-shaped bodies.
Why the Lowcountry?
Manatees are warm-water mammals that can’t tolerate temperatures below 68 degrees for long periods. So while winter sends them to Florida’s springs and heated power plant outflows, summer invites them to head north and explore.
The Lowcountry’s calm, shallow waterways, rich plant life and access to fresh water make it an ideal summer stop. Estuaries like Broad Creek and the areas around Shelter Cove and Harbour Town are perfect environments, offering sea grass and other vegetation to graze on, along with safe inlets to rest.
When and where to spot them
The manatee season in South Carolina typically begins in May and runs through September, although sightings have occurred as early as April and as late as November. Their movements depend heavily on water temperatures — warmer water keeps them around longer, while sudden cold snaps send them back south.
“We’ve already had sightings reported from Georgetown, Charleston and down toward Hilton Head Island this season,” said Kelly Lambert with S.C. Department of Natural Resources. By May the program received 47 sightings since the start of the year.
Look for manatees in calm, shallow waters — marinas, inlets and estuaries. Locals and visitors might spot them gliding just under the surface or poking their snouts out to breathe. They can weigh over 1,000 pounds and grow up to 13 feet long, which helps them leave a lasting impression.
Pro tip from Kelly Lambert at SCDNR: Wear a pair of polarized sunglasses before heading out on the water. They make it much easier to spot manatees gliding just beneath the surface.
Local sightings
Manatees have developed something of a fan base among locals. Social media lights up each time one is spotted gliding near a kayak or poking its snout above the water near a dock.
Sightings are so memorable that some visitors say it’s the highlight of their trip. One mom on Facebook shared that after spotting manatees and dolphins on a Vanishing Island tour, her son called it his “favorite activity all week.”
Since manatee encounters in the Lowcountry are rare, they may catch locals off guard. “Someone recently called to tell me there was a struggling dolphin in the surf,” said Amber Kuehn, Hilton Head Island’s Sea Turtle Patrol manager and longtime marine biologist, with a laugh. “They said it was black and weirded them out because of the color, but it turned out to be a manatee.”
You might even be lucky enough to spot a local manatee that’s part of long-term tracking efforts. “It looks like a big belt around the manatee’s belly, and it’s got a line attached to a floating mechanism with an antenna,” Kuehn said. “People think it’s a crab trap, but it’s actually part of a satellite monitoring device to track their migration routes.”
If you spot one of these tagged animals, don’t worry — it’s not in distress. The tag is a harmless monitoring device used by researchers to better understand manatees’ migration and habitat.
Look, don’t touch
As interest in manatees grows, so does the need to protect them. All manatees are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is illegal to touch, feed or harass them in any way. That includes offering them food or fresh water, which can alter their behavior and put them at risk.
“People think it’s fun to watch a manatee drink from a hose or feed them lettuce, but that just encourages them to stay when they should be heading out — and that’s actually a federal crime,” Kuehn said.
If you spot a manatee while boating or paddling, slow down and keep your distance. Many manatees who have scars from boat strikes, the number one cause of manatee deaths. can be difficult to see in the murky Lowcountry water.
“You could designate a wildlife watcher — it could be a kid, it could be an adult — but you can assign someone on board to be the official lookout for manatees and other wildlife,” Lambert suggested. Manatees typically surface to breathe every few minutes, but their backs and tails can easily go unnoticed.
If you ever see a manatee that appears injured, tangled or stranded, report the sighting to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources at 800-922-5431.
