So I just had my parents visit for Easter weekend. It was so much fun. We explored Clearwater beach, visited the aquarium together (I got to introduce some of my supervisors), and saw Winter's DolphinTale Adventure, a movie museum full of images, clips, recreated scenes, and rebuilt props, all from the first DolphinTale movie.
During the last few weeks, I had the honor of getting to meet 3 DolphinTale stars: Austin Highsmith (Phoebe), Cozi Zuehlsdorff (Hazel), and Nathan Gamble (Sawyer). They were all so nice. I even had Cozi sign my copy of her new music album, and I had Nathan sign my copy of DolphinTale 1. I also attended a concert by Cozi. She is so talented.
Austin Highsmith; I was so excited to meet
an actual DolphinTale star
2 stars are better than 1;
Cozi on the right, Austin on the left
The big star: Nathan Gamble
Being a huge DolphinTale fan, it was really great to meet these celebrities.
So as always, I'm loving life at the aquarium, hanging with 2 movie stars that will always be around.
Also, the education team launched a series called "On the Water." This is a series of ~5 minute videos that talk about the open ocean and its conservation: http://www.seewinter.com/educate/moorings. I have recently suggested an episode, and I hope to be filming soon.
I'm also enjoying the Clearwater community as a whole. I get to stop by the beach every once in awhile. I'll also sometimes try to support the CMA mission even outside the aquarium. Below are photos from a solo beach clean-up I did not too long ago:
Clearwater Beach
Trash doesn't belong here
It belongs in there
Before: What a mess!
After: Much better
I couldn't clean the whole beach, but I got a good chunk.
I also learned about Dolphin SMART during my internship. This voluntary program was launched by NOAA to provide safe guidelines for viewing wild dolphins. SMART is actually an acronym
S means Stay at least 50 yards away from wild dolphins
M means Move away cautiously if the dolphins show disturbance
A means Always put your boat engine in Neutral (so that the propellers don't spin) when dolphins are near
R means Refrain from touching, feeding, or swimming with wild dolphins
T means Teach others about Dolphin SMART
Follow these guidelines to view dolphins in a way that they can live naturally and not risk getting hurt.
CMA has been giving me great experience so far. It is definitely something I can use for my ultimate career at SeaWorld. I might also apply for a training position at CMA in case I don't get into SeaWorld right away. However, I'm still gonna keep pushing for it.
