Aerial video shows manatee speed swimming in Pinellas waterway

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (FOX 13) - Video taken by a drone shows a manatee on the move in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Michael McCarthy with See Through Canoe recorded as the large sea cow nimbly swam through the waters near Indian Rocks Beach.

The video showed the manatee swimming at a quick pace, its flapping tail forming a pattern in the sand at the bottom of the waterway.

"I was very surprised to have spotted this manatee moving fast and going north in the Intracoastal Waterway," McCarthy told FOX 13. "This is the first one I've spotted this year in the Intracoastal."

While many people are used to seeing manatees swim at a more leisurely pace, McCarthy said this was swimming about 7 miles per hour.