Boat Captain, Rick Mainster
Rick is a true water lover, his passion for boating established in his youth exploring the lakes, rivers and bays near White Marsh in Maryland. Eventually making his way to Florida, Rick has found his home here at Crystal River Preserve State Park.
When Rick isn’t volunteering his time at church, you can find him working as a part-time boat captain on Mondays and Fridays operating the 24-passenger vessel Monroe. Park staff have nicknamed Rick the “dolphin whisperer” as he has a knack for spotting the bottle nosed dolphins feeding or frolicking along the edge of the tidal creeks on his tours, as well as other wildlife.
Ricks says it’s his love of people that keeps him coming back every week, and the fact that when you are on the Crystal River, nature always has a surprise for you. “It excites me when visitors are thrilled and full of questions after seeing a bald eagle in flight, a roseate spoonbill resting in a mangrove or a working stone crab boat passing by. For visitors, coming to Crystal River may be a once in a lifetime event, but I have the privilege of experiencing the wildlife and the river every day, and that warms my heart.”
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