St. Augustine, Florida is a place like no other. The oldest city in the nation, St. Augustine offers visitors a quaintness and charm that will delight people of all ages. Spend the day strolling old brick streets lined with historic buildings, take a horse drawn carriage ride, enjoy numerous boutiques, galleries and bustling restaurants, or spend your days looking for seashells on one of many pristine beaches.
There are many things to do and see in St. Augustine but perhaps the most thrilling activity is a visit to Marineland Dolphin Adventure Park and go swimming with dolphins St Augustine beach.
A Video Tour of Marineland Dolphin Adventure, St. Augustine, FL.
A Magical Dolphin Swim or Encounter
No matter if you’re a child or a child at heart, you’ll find a dolphin swim program that makes you remember magic is real. Put your snorkel mask on and get in the water for a memorable experience. You’ll have the opportunity to swim and snorkel near the dolphins in shallow and deep water, and also out in deeper water where you can see these breathtaking animals twirling below you.
For those of you with an artistic side, you’ll no doubt be delighted with the Dolphin Designs program. You’ll be able to choose up to 3 colors for the dolphins to paint on a canvas which you’ll hold over the water. Talk about fine art! Once your painting is finished, you’ll have the opportunity to get into the water and interact with the dolphins up close and personal.
Maybe you’ll want to feed the dolphins? Well you can in the touch and feed program, an exhilarating experience the whole family will enjoy.
Dolphin Swim Immersion
Trainer for a Day
Admit it, you’ve thought that training dolphins must be one of the coolest jobs in the world. Now is your chance to find out as you spend the day assisting Marineland’s trainers. You’ll spend the day preparing meals, feeding the dolphins, and taking part in the many wonderful behavioral programs at the park. At the end of the day you’ll be given a CD of photos from your day on the job. Not that you’ll need photos to remind you of the amazing time you had.
Trainer of the Day
Take a Thrilling EcoTour!
How would you like to Kayak in and around some of the most stunning scenery in Florida? The Ripple Effect EcoTours will get you out on the water where you will learn about the various ecosystems in this part of Florida and the conservation efforts employed to keep them healthy and pristine.
Kayak around Faver-Dykes State Park, The Princess Place Preserve, and the Pellicer Creek Aquatic Preserve, a biologically rich area that has been described as “the cornerstone behind the nomination of the Matanzas River as the 25th National Estuarine Research Reserve of the United States”.
Eco Tours St Augustine Beach
Happy Birthday to YOU!
Is your child celebrating a birthday soon? Why not give them a day they’ll remember for a long, long time. With its gorgeous ocean views and playful dolphins always looking to make new friends, Marineland offers a birthday program complete with dolphin interactions, educational programs and a photo keepsake.
If you’re headed to St. Augustine, Florida and looking for an adventure of a lifetime, you’ll want to spend the day (or several) at Marineland Dolphin Adventure Park.
Many of us, when we’re young, have big dreams about what we’d like to be when we grow up. Some of us want to be professional athletes or singers, others astronauts or firefighters, and still others have a passion to somehow work with animals when we get older.
Nicki LaPierre was one of those kids who knew at a very young age she wanted to work with dolphins. At seven years old her parents gave her a dolphin necklace and she instantly fell in love and set her mind on having a career with dolphins. She had such a love for these graceful animals that nothing was going to stand in her way of making that dream come true. Not only did Nicki realize her dream, but she did it in record time, becoming one of the youngest dolphin handlers in the entire state of Florida.
Dream Big to Become a Dolphin Trainer
Each and every day when Nicki gets up for work she does so with a big smile on her face because she gets to hang out with the magical creatures she’s been in love with since she was a little girl.
If you also have a passion for dolphins and would love nothing more than to make a living training and interacting with them, then the fastest way to reach your dream is to go to school for a marine biology degree.
Is Marine Biology a Good Career?
If you asked Nicki (and countless others) she would give you a resounding “Yes!”
What most people don’t realize is that marine biology is a term that is used to cover a whole host of disciplines and jobs in the marine sciences. Although they all deal with the study of marine life, they can vary greatly.
For instance, with a marine biology degree you may go on to become a biological technician, marine mammalogist, fishery biologist, microbiologist, and of course, a dolphin trainer, to name a few specific careers. Heck, even economists and sociologists who deal with marine resource issues work within what is considered the field of marine biology.
A Fun and Exciting Career – Marine Science
Getting a Marine Biology Degree
There are many universities and colleges that offer degrees in marine biology, many of them located on the Pacific Coast. A good resource to find academic programs is www.oceancareers.com or look at this book ” How to become a Marine Mammal Trainer“.
Some good schools on the west coast to consider are the University of California programs at San Diego (Scripps Institution of Oceanography), Davis, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife or Department of Oceanography at Oregon State University in Corvallis; and Humboldt State University in California. On the east coast there are quality programs at schools like the University of Miami, University of Rhode Island, and the University of Massachusetts.
Courses to Consider
For a career in marine biology you can expect to take preparatory classes in basic biology, zoology, chemistry, physics, biometrics, mathematics, and statistics. You may be surprised to learn that you’ll have to take some English classes as well, because marine biologists write a lot of scientific papers with the hopes of getting them published.
You will most likely take courses in oceanography as well as ichthyology and fishery biology. If you hope to eventually have a career where you will often deal with the public or public policies, courses in social sciences are also recommended.
You Must Love Getting in the Water and Marine Animals!
Marine Biologist Salary
On average, marine biologists earn $37.00 per hour, or $77,630 as an annual salary. These salaries typically start at $39,000 and can go all the way up to $124,680. Pay will vary based on the level of education (get those degrees!), amount of time in the industry, and the size and location of the company.
Train Dolphins for a Living
If you’d rather wear a wetsuit to work instead of a suit and tie, then being a dolphin trainer is the career for you. But you might be wondering what exactly dolphin trainers do each and every day.
Generally, dolphin trainers get to work very early, typically before 7AM, and when they arrive they are instantly greeted by thousands of pounds of frozen fish. So one of your first tasks might be to sort all of these fish into buckets (you didn’t think it was all glamorous work, did you?!) and then weigh each bucket carefully to ensure each dolphin is getting the right amount of fish for the day’s activities.
Training and Taking Care of Dolphins
After a bit of cleanup, you might find yourself heading into meetings with coworkers to discuss all of the animal’s health and well-being. After the meeting everyone grabs some buckets of fish and heads over to the pool to say good morning to the dolphins and give them their breakfast.
You might have a show later in the morning and have to set props and get into your costume and then give the audience what they came for, a spectacular show they’ll never forget.
After the show you and your dolphin pals will take a lunch break, but then head back to the pool for for some training sessions where you may teach the dolphins to do flips and other new tricks for upcoming shows. We would highly recommend that you try a Dolphin Interactions in one of our location and speak with a trainer directly. They will always give you great advice.
Work Hard to Get This Career
Becoming a marine biologist and going on to be a dolphin trainer will not happen overnight, and the work will be hard and often exhausting. But it will be equally rewarding. Like Nicki, you may also want to consider doing an internship at an animal park. Dolphin training is a coveted position and there are only so many in the country, so to have the most chance, go for an internship.
You Too Can Have a Career with Dolphins!
Nicki will be the first to tell you it’s not glamorous, the work is hard and you don’t get paid, but you get a chance to learn from the best and if they see potential in you, they just may hire you like they did Nicki.
If you have the same passion that Nicki has and would love to work with dolphins one day, find a good school and get the right degree, work toward that internship, and never give up!
Your Marine Animal Experience and Feed Back
We would love to hear from you and what you did to get involved with Marine Animals. Did you do any of these suggestions that we have listed here? In fact we are so interested in hearing what you have to say that we will entice you to comment, the first 5 comments will receive a $5 Amazon Gift card by email. The only thing we ask that you comment has something to do about Marine Animal Careers or Marine Science.
Swimming with dolphins in a facility is exciting enough, but getting to be out in the open waters and watch wild dolphins in their natural habitat is something totally different and unique! And that’s why Dolphin World is pleased to introduce to you, the Wild Dolphin Encounter in beautiful Bimini, Bahamas.
The Bahamas are a collection of nice-sized islands, with the biggest being North and South Bimini. Though technically the biggest islands, a vacation to Bimini still has a quaint and charming feel, perfect for a relaxing destination.
But quaint and charming don’t even do justice to describe what your experience aboard a comfortable sailing boat for 6 days and 5 nights will be like on your wild dolphin adventure. Captain Geoff will personally greet you upon arrival and give you a brief explanation of the boat and your time upon it.
Once you and your fellow adventurers introduce yourselves, Captain Geoff will give you a weather report for the week and ahead. Then finally, it’s time to sit down to your first dinner on board. Meals are simple but tasty. After dinner you have the option of reading, playing board games, or going on deck to be amazed at the sky full of stars. Then it’s time for some shut eye because the next day will be a total thrill.
Capt Geoffrey of Dolphin Expeditions
The one thing you must understand is that, as accommodating as Captain Geoff and crew are, they cannot predict or control the weather. You basically hope for the best and deal with what weather comes your way. Captain Geoff pays very close attention to weather reports, as well as the surrounding landscape, to always ensure your safety.
Depending on weather, you may find in the morning the seas are a bit rough and the captain does not want to take the dingy out in search of dolphins. This gives you an opportunity to practice your snorkeling in calmer, shallower water. When the weather is clear and the water still, you’ll hop into the dingy and motor around the islands in search of spotted or bottlenose dolphins!
You will NEVER forget the first time you see these dolphins out in the wild! They tend to swim around and around the dingy and leap into the air as if to show off. You’ll also get a chance to see dolphins feeding out in the open waters, and sometimes, it’s as if the dolphins want to race the dingy. Usually they win.
Wild Dolphins in Bimini Bahamas
But perhaps the most spectacular and memorable experience is when you find yourself snorkeling in the morning in the crystal clear water and suddenly dolphins appear to swim with you. Simply unforgettable. You’re also most likely to see all kinds of sea life while snorkeling such as star fish, stingrays, nurse shark (they’re friendly!), blue fish, yellow fish and all sorts of tropical fish.
The wild dolphin encounter is truly a one-of-a-kind experience and memorable to boot!
Getting to Bimini
Although it is the outermost set of islands in the Bahamas, Bimini is actually less than 50 miles from the southern tip of Florida and very easy to get to. You can get to Bimini by air or by sea.
You have two options to fly into Bimini:
Silver Airways – A regional airline (and partnership with United Express Airlines) that departs from Fort Lauderdale. There is one flight daily, except on Tuesdays, which lasts for 30 minutes and lands you directly at South Bimini Airport. Travelers headed to North Bimini will have to take a five-minute taxi ride from the airport.
Travel to Bimini Bahamas
Take a seaplane– Tropic Ocean Airways offers flights from Fort Lauderdale as well as Miami on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. They also offer private chartered planes. Other companies that offer private chartered service include Island Air Charters, Pioneer Air Service and RMG Flight Services. If your budget allows, this is a nice way to start your adventure.
Charter a boat – Why not charter a pleasure boat or even a yacht to get you to Bimini? Several Florida companies and private boat owners are happy to transport travelers from Miami and Fort Lauderdale to docks and marinas on North and South Bimini. Charter services to consider include Boat South Florida, Taylor’d Yacht Charters and Atlantic Yacht Charters.
Bimini History
The history of Bimini is quite varied and exciting. During the 1600 and 1700s, Bimini was a popular spot for pirates who hid out, waiting for the Spanish ships, laden with treasure on their route back to Spain, to pass by.
During the 19th century, shipwrecks were a frequent occurrence in the area and the first settlers to Bimini came to salvage the wrecks. Once lighthouses became common in the 1800s, the shipwrecking trade declined. Ever heard of Blackbeard? He was no stranger to the islands of Bimini.
Once the wrecking industry declined, the island was struggling with poverty. But, in 1919, The U.S. enacted the Volstead Act and the era of prohibition dawned. Everyone and their cousin was looking for a way to smuggle alcohol into America through Canada and The Bahamas.
Enter the rum runners, who flooded Bimini with cases and cases of rum, all headed to the United States. Bimini went from economically depressed to rolling in cash, seemingly overnight.
Many notable historical figures visited Bimini over the years, but perhaps the most famous was Nobel Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway, who had experiences on the island that would allow him to eventually write Old Man and The Sea.
Delicious Bimini Food
Sights and Sounds of Bimini
Is it any wonder Bimini is a mecca for deep sea fishermen? This location is ideal for catching “the big one” as its where the Gulf Stream meets the Bahamas Bank. Anglers here are likely to catch snapper, tuna, and wahoo.
There are plenty of other activities besides fishing. There’s paddleboarding and kayaking, of course, and art and culture as well. Spend a day perusing Bimini Museum in Alice Town.
Those visitors who are looking for a real thrill can get into a dockside cage to get face-to-face with one of the ocean’s top predators – the bull shark.
Of course, there’s nothing to stop you from simply taking a leisurely stroll through town, enjoying some delicious local food, doing some shopping and people watching, or just lying in the warm sand with cool ocean breezes kissing your skin.
Bimini is truly a unique destination where magic awaits you at every turn.
Your Bimini Bahamas Experience and Feed Back
We would love to hear from you and what you did in Bimini Bahamas. In fact we are so interested in hearing what you have to say that we will entice you to comment, the first 5 comments will receive a $5 Amazon Gift Card by email. The only thing we ask that you comment has something to do about Bimini Island and your stay there or the nearby area.
Dolphin World has partnered with Jungle Island Miami for many years now because they offer visitors a chance to glimpse land animals that we don’t have in the marine park. Imagine getting up close to lemurs, monkeys, and tigers. Well, you can at Jungle Island.
If you don’t know much about Jungle Island, read on to find out more! After learning about the park, you’ll want to include one of their programs on your next visit to Miami, especially the Lemur Experience.
Jungle Island – A South Florida Landmark Attraction
Jungle Island, a favorite South Florida landmark, is an intimate zoological park located in the heart of Miami, between downtown Miami and South Beach. Building upon a rich tradition that began in 1936, Jungle Island is home to some of the world’s rarest and most exotic animals. You can enjoy engaging animal shows and informative exhibits while strolling by streams and waterfalls under a lush canopy of tropical trees. Also, you can choose to participate in hands-on interactions with fascinating animals or go on guided behind-the-scenes Lemur tours. Jungle Island enriches the lives of park visitors through immersive, real-life jungle experiences centered on adventure, animals, discovery and play.
Jungle Island Park
Lemur Up-Close Description
Play with lovable, rambunctious lemurs during this hands-on experience! Aside from a trip to Madagascar, the Lemur nursery at Jungle Island is one of a very few places on earth where guests can personally interact with these extremely rare and endangered mammals. Learn fun-facts and feed them their favorite juicy treat – grapes. Guests visit in small groups, so everyone gets to participate. Children must be 6 years of age or older. Guests under age 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Jungle Island Park Admission
With your Lemur Experience, you also get to enjoy access to Jungle Island, which includes a fun-filled day exploring the park’s unique shows and animal exhibits. Take part in memorable experiences including a visit down under with the Australian red kangaroos, feeding animals at the petting farm and an exclusive encounter with a surprise critter. Come see the parrots, lions, orangutans, alligators and many more animals, along with spectacular shows! Includes access to Parrot Cove, Miami’s only private, swimmable beach, so bring your bathing suit!
Finally, you can swim with the dolphins and add this wonderful Lemur tour to your day as well – a combination that will be a big hit with your family and friends. Miami’s wonderful beaches and fun animal attractions help make South Florida one of the best destinations for a vacation.
Your Jungle Island Experience and Feed Back
We would love to hear from you and what you did at Jungle Island. In fact we are so interested in hearing what you have to say that we will entice you to comment, the first 5 comments will receive a $5 Amazon Gift Card by email. The only thing we ask that you comment has something to do about Jungle Island and your stay there or the nearby area.
When most people think of Miami, they think of the sultry weather, the nightlife, and the pulsing Latin rhythms escaping from the doors of the innumerable nightclubs. But Miami offers so much more. Visitors can indulge in a mouthwatering meal at one of the city’s celebrity-owned restaurants, hit the beach for some much-needed R&R, or take a leisurely stroll and explore the vibrant architecture in the fabled Art Deco district. Miami is also home to some very high-end shops, boutiques and world-class museums.
But for a really memorable vacation, visitors should head directly to Swim with Dolphins in Miami.
A Video Tour of the Miami Facility
Get Up Close and Personal to Bottlenose Dolphins
Whether you’re nine or 99, you’ll be absolutely thrilled to see these wondrous creatures up close. Dolphin World has swim programs for those seeking a somewhat docile interaction as well as for those who seek an adventure and who want to get in the water and go for a dorsal fin ride. Whichever way you choose to spend your time with these dolphins, you’ll quickly discover how friendly and playful they truly are.
The dolphin swim program in Miami will teach you all about dolphins in a very fun and interactive class, as well as prepare you for the fun to come. Once you get in the water, you can expect to get a hug and kiss from your new buddies, and pet them and rub their bellies. From there it is up to you whether you’d like to go for a swim in the deeper water and even get a ride across the pool while you hold onto a dolphin’s dorsal fin.
Peck Hold Dolphin Swim Miami
And, in case you’re wondering what all of this adventure is going to cost your family – Dolphin World offers swim programs for every size budget. So, whether you’re looking for something new and exciting to do during your summer vacation, or a unique birthday or anniversary event, or maybe an exciting honeymoon excursion, Dolphin World has just the program that will let you and your loved ones easily make memories that will last a lifetime but that won’t break the bank.
Let the Underwater Adventure Begin!
You didn’t think we were done with the fun, did you? Dolphin World offers visitors some amazing combo packages, one of them being the Dolphin Swim and Sea Trek combo. That’s a ton of fun all in the same day.
Once you’re done swimming with the dolphins, head on over to Dolphin World’s manmade 300,000 gallon tropical reef for an underwater Snuba adventure. While wearing a state-of-the-art dive helmet that allows you to breathe freely, you’ll encounter tropical fish, sting rays and a variety of unique sea creatures. And don’t worry – SCUBA certification is not required, so you and your entire family can share in the underwater fun together.
Also, we have swim with the seals program, you can do this alone or combo with the dolphins too. You would be spending 20 minutes in shallow and deep with water with these amazing sea animal. They are so special and you will have a chance to be really up close with them, where you get to pet, hug, play and swim with them.
If you’re heading to south Florida in the near future and are looking for something fun, interesting and totally unique to do, you’ll definitely want to check out Dolphin World.
Miami hotel in Coconut Grove with free breakfast and outdoor pool This great value hotel is only 15 – 20 minutes away from Key Biscayne Miami. A smart choice place to stay if you are looking for convenience, location, and nice place in Miami. Along with an outdoor pool, this smoke-free hotel has a fitness center and a spa tub. Free buffet breakfast and free WiFi in public areas are also provided. Other amenities include a 24-hour business center, coffee/tea in the lobby, and conference rooms. < More... >
Why don’t you extend your vacation to Miami and take a quick cruise to the Bahamas or the Caribbean from the port of Miami? Why not… This port is one of the biggest Cruise ports in the world so it could be a great opportunity for those come to wonderful South Florida. < Cruise Ship Travel Info.. >
Your Miami Experience and Feed Back
We would love to hear from you and what you did in Miami and Miami Beach. Did you do any of these activities that we have listed here? What places do you recommend to go stay in or eat at? In fact we are so interested in hearing what you have to say that we will entice you to comment, the first 5 comments will receive a $5 Amazon Gift card by email. The only thing we ask that you comment has something to do about Miami and Miami Beach and your stay there or the nearby area.
There really is so much to see and do in Miami, and most likely you won’t get to see everything you want to on your first visit, which means you’ll just have to come back again and again!
