A group of beautiful manatees peacefully convene around some canoeists in their midst.

"These people were rewarded for respectfully keeping their distance," said the filmer. "Manatees are very friendly and curious and if you keep a respectful distance and wait patiently, they will often come up to you."

Whole they are no longer endangered, they are still protected. The canoeists were all using see-through canoes, giving them an even better view of the creatures.

These people were rewarded for respectfully keeping their distance from a group of manatees when most of the manatees in the group went up to their transparent canoes. A group of manatees is referred to as an "aggregation". Although they are no longer endangered, they are still protected in the U.S. by the MMPA (marine mammals protection act). You aren't supposed to go right up to them or chase/follow them, however, manatees are very friendly and curious and if you keep a respectful distance and wait patiently, they will often come up to you.