Winter the Dolphin Captures the World's Heart

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s main attraction these days is an energetic Winter the dolphin, star of the movie Dolphin Tale, who lost her tail when she became accidentally tangled in a crab trap at only two months of age.

She not only beat the odds of survival, but learned how to swim without her tail. The world watched as Winter gained a dolphin prosthetic tail and global fame as the “Bionic Dolphin.” "We humans can learn a lot from Winter’s fighting spirit,” says David Yates, CEO of the nonprofit marine animal rescue center. “She has been through a lot, but she never says quit.”

The see-it-to-believe-it story, www.SeeWinter.com, has inspired hundreds of thousands of visitors to add the CMA to their lists of “must-see” destinations on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The public is invited to watch her swim freely in her new habitat, where she began her lengthy recovery five years ago after a heroic rescue near Cape Canaveral.

While Winter has brought international fame to the CMA, the attraction's goals remain the same: the rescue, rehabilitation and release of marine wildlife. The intimate setting at the aquarium has drawn visitors for 30 years with shows, behind-the-scenes tours and interactive programs like "Trainer for a Day," "Day with a Dolphin" and "Dolphin Encounter."

Winter's heartwarming story has been featured in children's books, documentaries, TV shows and was presented on the big screen in a major motion picture from Warner Bros., Dolphin Tale, in the fall of 2011.

What's New at CMA

Recent renovations at the aquarium include a new dolphin tank was specifically built to house Winter and accommodate the massive 3D filming equipment needed for the Dolphin Tale movie. Other changes include removal of the ceiling above the main dolphin exhibit which allows the resident dolphins to jump more freely, new expanded tanks, and building of a digital curved-screen theater, where videos gives an in-depth look at CMA’s work with dolphins and sea turtles. CMA has also opened a brand new sea turtle rehabilitation area, tripling its current cpacity for turtles and making the Aquarium one of the largest sea turtle rehabilitation facilities in Florida.

Guests can get up close with resident dolphins in the “Splash Zone,” where the view of Winter and her dolphin friends is closer than anywhere else in the world.

Five years and a day since the resuce of Winter, a baby calf was transported to CMA for rehabilitation after she was found attempting to nurse from her mother who had passed away. The dolphin calf came off quarantine in early 2011. She is now healthy and enjoying play and session time with her trainers. The new baby dolphin was recently named Hope in a public naming contest. Hope will be sharing a tank with Winter.

CMA staff and volunteers also monitor area beaches daily, including Clearwater Beach, for just laid sea turtle nests. During the night, from May through September, the 350-pound female Atlantic Loggerhead sea turtles come ashore on area beaches to deposit their eggs.