Disclosure: Our family received free tickets to experience Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Paint With a Dolphin program. All opinions expressed are my own. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something featured in this post - at no extra cost to you.
Is a dolphin experience on your family’s Florida adventure bucket list? Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Paint With a Dolphin program offers a unique way to interact with dolphin artists as they express their incredible creativity.
Not only is it an exciting experience for families, the Paint With a Dolphin program is a stimulating enrichment activity that supports the physical and mental well-being of CMA’s rescued dolphins.
As a kid, I dreamed of being a dolphin trainer. Participating in a dolphin enrichment activity was truly a dream come true for me. Thank you, CMA, for hosting us!
What is the Paint With a Dolphin Experience at Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
Paint With a Dolphin at Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a 15-minute artistic experience that combines the joy of painting with the playful spirit of CMA’s resident dolphins.
It’s an exclusive, small group experience available on select dates. This dolphin experience is designed for parties of 1-4 guests, ages 7 and up.
As a Paint With a Dolphin participant, you get to go poolside with CMA’s animal care specialists as they conduct an enrichment session with resident bottlenose dolphins.
One person in your group holds the canvas while the dolphin paints on it. The dolphin’s masterpiece is yours to take home, along with a photo of the experience.
Paint With a Dolphin is an add-on experience that you can purchase to enhance your visit to Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Daily admission is required and not included with this program. Advance reservations are recommended.
Our Family’s Paint With a Dolphin Experience
For our family’s Paint With a Dolphin session, I held the canvas while Nicholas the dolphin painted with two colors my seven-year-old daughter selected for him. We were amazed at his ability to manipulate the paintbrush and captivated by his energetic, playful spirit.
CMA’s animal care specialists were so welcoming and happy to answer all of our questions about Nicholas and the other dolphins in their care.
Nicholas the dolphin was rescued as a baby after stranding with his mom, Noelle, on Christmas Eve in 2002. Unfortunately, Noelle passed away a few days later. Because he did not have his mother to teach him how to survive in the wild, Nicholas became a permanent resident of Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Today, Nicholas loves solving problems during his training sessions. Cognitive enrichment activities like painting provide a wonderful way to stimulate him.
How Does Painting Benefit Dolphins at Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Paint With a Dolphin program benefits its rescued dolphins in many ways.
A form of enrichment, painting encourages CMA’s dolphins to refine their fine motor skills and engages their cognitive abilities. It provides them with an outlet for their natural curiosity, and creates variety in their daily enrichment activities.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a nonprofit working marine rescue center. All of the dolphins in its care are non-releasable rescued animals. These animals have a range of disabilities such as hearing loss and sight issues or have been habituated to humans, making them incapable of surviving on their own in the wild.
Enrichment activities like dolphin painting support the rescued animals’ mental and physical well-being.
Dolphin Painting Benefits
Fine Motor Skill Stimulation
The use of a paintbrush encourages rescued dolphins to refine their fine motor skills as they grasp and manipulate the tool.
Cognitive Engagement
The process of creating patterns, and manipulating the paintbrush engages the dolphins’ cognitive abilities, promoting mental stimulation.
Creative Expression
Painting allows dolphins to express themselves creatively, fostering a sense of individuality and providing an outlet for their natural curiosity.
Problem Solving
The act of painting presents challenges that require problem-solving skills, such as selecting colors or creating specific patterns, contributing to mental agility.
Variety in Enrichment Activities
Adding painting to the enrichment repertoire provides variety, ensuring that rescued dolphins are exposed to a diverse range of stimulating activities.
Educational Opportunities
Incorporating painting into enrichment programs can be used as an educational tool for visitors, raising awareness about dolphin intelligence, creativity, and the importance of cognitive enrichment.
Expression of Natural Behaviors
Painting taps into dolphins’ natural behaviors, such as exploration, curiosity, and manipulation of objects, allowing them to express these behaviors in a purposeful manner.
More Things To Do at Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Along with meeting dolphins at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, you can visit other rescued animals that have conditions that require them to live at CMA permanently. Other resident animals include sea turtles, sharks, river otters, pelicans, stingrays, reptiles, fish and more marine animals.
CMA will also soon be home to a rehabilitation center for Florida manatees that guests will be able to visit beginning in 2024.
In addition to Paint With a Dolphin, CMA offers a variety of hands-on Animal Care Experiences. These experiences give visitors a look at how CMA’s animal care team feeds, interacts with, and keeps their resident animals healthy. Along with dolphin experiences, CMA offers shark, stingray, pelican and tortoise experiences.
Want to get out on the water and explore Clearwater Bay? CMA also offers daily eco-boat tours including a Sea Life Safari Tour and Dolphin & Wildlife Boat Tour.
Interested in more marine art? Check out CMA’s fourth-floor ArtSEA Conservation art gallery. Illuminated marine mammal paintings, sculptures created from pollution and art aquariums beautifully exhibit the connection between art and marine conservation.
Where is Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
Clearwater Marine Aquarium is located on Clearwater Bay one mile from Clearwater Beach, Florida.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium Tickets, Special Offers & Discounts
You can purchase tickets online in advance of your visit to CMA. 100% of net proceeds go directly to supporting rescue, rehab and release of marine life, and the long-term care of CMA’s resident animals.
CMA offers 50% off daily admission for active-duty military and teachers (K-12) with valid ID throughout the year.
Want to celebrate your birthday with the dolphins? CMA offer free admission to guests on their birthday! Valid proof of birthday required.
Planning to visit CMA while on vacation in Tampa Bay? Bundle Clearwater Marine Aquarium admission with 4 other top Tampa Bay attractions, including Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, and save 54% with Tampa Bay CityPASS.
More Things To Do in Tampa Bay
Looking for more things to do in the Tampa Bay area? Check out our Tampa Bay Florida family adventure guides.
Find inspiration for your next adventure with our Tampa spring bucket list and our list of 40+ summer adventures around Tampa Bay. Plan for a rainy day with our guide to Tampa Bay indoor activities.
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