A rescue centre first
Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine animals, alongside education, conservation and research. Net proceeds from visits support that work.
Animals that cannot go home
The aquarium’s permanent residents are animals judged unable to return to the wild. Nicholas, a bottlenose dolphin, was rescued as a six-month-old calf on Christmas Eve 2002; Hope was found as an orphaned two-month-old calf in December 2010 and later starred in Dolphin Tale 2.
Room for manatees
In October 2020 a new dolphin complex of five connected pools opened, nearly tripling the dolphins’ space. In July 2024 the Manatee Rehabilitation Center welcomed its first manatee patients, and visitors can watch manatees in care.



