Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
On this page
A science centre, a rescue centre and an aquarium
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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1972
Founded
Volunteers found the Clearwater Marine Science Center as a non-profit organisation.
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1978
A new home
The city of Clearwater gives the centre a disused water treatment plant on the bay.
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1981
First exhibits
The first exhibit room opens to the public.
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1984
Sunset Sam
A stranded bottlenose dolphin is rescued and becomes the centre’s first resident dolphin.
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December 2005
Winter
A young dolphin caught in a crab trap’s ropes is rescued; she later swims with a prosthetic tail.
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2011
Dolphin Tale
Winter’s story reaches cinemas; a sequel, Dolphin Tale 2, follows in 2014.
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October 2020
Expansion
A new dolphin complex, guest areas and parking garage open.
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November 2021
Remembering Winter
Winter dies at the age of 16.
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July 2024
Manatee care
The Manatee Rehabilitation Center welcomes its first patients.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
