Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a nonprofit marine rescue and rehabilitation facility on Clearwater Beach, Florida, built in a former water treatment plant. What began in 1972 as the Clearwater Marine Science Center has grown into one of the best-known aquariums in the country, driven by a mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick or injured marine animals rather than simply display them.
The aquarium’s global fame traces to one resident: Winter, a bottlenose dolphin rescued in 2005 after losing her tail in a crab trap injury. Fitted with a groundbreaking prosthetic tail, Winter inspired the feature films Dolphin Tale (2011) and Dolphin Tale 2 (2014) and became a symbol of prosthetic research before her death in 2021. Today the facility cares for dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, otters, and pelicans, most of them permanent residents with injuries that prevent their return to the wild.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Clearwater, Florida
- Opened: 1972 (as Clearwater Marine Science Center)
- Size: About 1.5 million gallons in its largest tank, across 17 major exhibits
- Species: About 59 species
- Annual visitors: Around 750,000 (historically reported)
- Famous for: Winter, the dolphin from the Dolphin Tale films
A Rescue Center First
Unlike many aquariums built primarily for exhibition, Clearwater Marine Aquarium was founded around marine animal rescue, rehabilitation, and release. Its permanent animal residents, including dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles, generally stayed because injuries left them unable to survive in the wild, and the facility continues to treat and release many other animals each year as part of its ongoing rescue operations.
The aquarium expanded this mission in 2024 with the opening of a new Manatee Rehabilitation Center, part of a larger multi-year ‘Rising Tides’ expansion aimed at growing its capacity for animal care, research, and public education.
Winter’s Lasting Legacy
Winter’s prosthetic tail, developed with help from prosthetics specialists, was seen as a milestone in veterinary prosthetic technology and drew comparisons to devices later used for human amputees, including injured veterans. Her story, told in the Dolphin Tale films, turned the aquarium into a major Tampa Bay-area tourist destination and brought lasting attention to marine rescue work.
Visitors today can still see exhibits and educational programming centered on Winter’s story alongside the aquarium’s current dolphins, manatees, and other rescued marine life.
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Clearwater Marine Aquarium FAQs
Is Winter the dolphin still alive at Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
No. Winter, the dolphin who inspired the Dolphin Tale movies, died in November 2021 at age 16. The aquarium continues to honor her story through exhibits and educational programs.
What is Clearwater Marine Aquarium known for?
It’s best known as the real-life rescue and rehabilitation home of Winter, the bottlenose dolphin fitted with a prosthetic tail, whose story inspired the films Dolphin Tale (2011) and Dolphin Tale 2 (2014).
What animals can you see at Clearwater Marine Aquarium?
The aquarium is home to bottlenose and rough-toothed dolphins, manatees, North American river otters, sea turtles, nurse sharks, and pelicans, most of them permanent residents recovering from injuries.
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Photo: qwesy qwesy / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.