Where to See Manatees, Dolphins and Sea Turtles Near Melbourne Beach

Dolphins

The Indian River Lagoon has its own resident bottlenose dolphins that live their whole lives inside it, so you do not need an ocean trip to see them. They work the channel edges, the inlet on a moving tide, and the shallows when the mullet are in. From shore, the best bets are the jetties at Sebastian Inlet on an incoming tide, the lagoon-side pier in Melbourne Beach around sunset, and the bridges over the lagoon. From a boat you see them on nearly every trip, often close enough to hear them breathe, because they come to the wake.

Manatees

Manatees are here all year but they are easiest to find in the cool months, when they gather in warm water: the Sebastian River and its canals, the deeper residential canals, and sheltered lagoon coves. On a cold morning in January you can count a dozen in one creek. In summer they spread out across the whole lagoon, grazing the seagrass, and you see them one and two at a time, usually as a swirl and a nose. From shore, Round Island Park south of Vero and the lagoon side of Sebastian Inlet State Park are the reliable spots. From the water, the Coastal Wildlife Tour goes where they were yesterday.

Sea Turtles

The beach from Melbourne Beach to Sebastian Inlet is inside the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most important loggerhead nesting beaches on earth, with green turtles and the occasional leatherback as well. From May through October the nests are marked along the sand. In June and July permitted guided night walks let you watch a female come ashore and lay; they book out early. In the water, we see turtles in the inlet and on the nearshore reefs in the warm months, often surfacing right beside the boat.

Everything Else

Brown and white pelicans, ospreys on nearly every channel marker, bald eagles, roseate spoonbills, wood storks, herons and egrets on the spoil islands. Rays on the flats, sometimes in schools. The occasional small shark in the inlet. If the kids keep a list, they will run out of paper.

Best Times

• Dolphins: any day, best on a moving tide, morning or evening.
• Manatees: November to March, calm cool mornings.
• Turtles on the beach: June and July night walks; nests visible May to October.
• Turtles in the water: April to October.
• Birds: winter for numbers, spring for the rookeries.

From the Boat

The Coastal Wildlife Tour is a half day, $600 for the boat, up to six guests, out of Sebastian Inlet. It is the trip for people who want to see animals rather than catch them. The Sunset Tour covers the same water at the hour the dolphins feed, and the island trips see all of it on the way to the shark teeth.