Marineland, located in St. Augustine, FL, is an oceanfront playground featuring 13 bottlenose dolphins, as well as several sand tiger sharks, sea turtles, and tortoises. Marineland Dolphin Adventure, which has been operating for over 80 years, provides guests the opportunity to participate in various levels of interaction with the dolphins.
At Marineland, dolphins get to participate in their daily activities by their own choice. All training used involves positive reinforcement and is always done by the dolphin’s choice. In fact, the biggest part of a trainer’s day is figuring out what each individual dolphin, or group of dolphins, finds reinforcing. For example, if a dolphin loves to interact with basketballs and other toys, the trainer will use that activity as positive reinforcement throughout the dolphin’s interactions.
These guest interactions are not only education to the guests, but also to the dolphins. A dolphin may be provided the opportunity to show off a new trick they’ve been working on. By the end of each guest’s visit, the goal is for them to fall in love with the animals just as much as the trainers have. Guest interactions range from simply watching the dolphins poolside to being a trainer for the day.
If you’d like to experience Marineland for yourself, visit their website at marineland.net or their Facebook page. They also recommend just coming into their location at 9600 Oceanshore Blvd or calling at 407-563-4701. Marineland is open 8:30 AM to 5 PM daily.