December 6, 2021

FLORIDA AQUARIUM

701 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602

“The Florida Aquarium is a 501 non-profit organization, publicly operated institution located in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is a large scale, 250,000-square-foot aquarium and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.”  Wikipedia

Having limited time in the Tampa area I had to decide whether I wanted to go to Zoo Tampa or the Florida Aquarium.  I opted for the aquarium, mainly because its admission was about half of the zoo’s admission.

The journey through the aquarium started with a visit to the wetlands of Florida to see animals native to the state, including alligators, otters, and free-flying birds.  Next were displays showing life in the bays and beaches of southern Florida, ending with a tank where visitors could touch a stingray.  The last half of route through the aquarium went deeper into the sea with a huge aquarium full of sharks, reef fishes and moray eels.  There were areas with different seahorses and jellyfish. 

The leisurely stroll through the aquarium provided many opportunities to attempt to photograph all the different species on display.

I chose to add a Wild Dolphin Cruise to my ticket hoping so see dolphins in the Tampa Bay.  The cruise took us 45 minutes out towards the Gulf of Mexico and then we turned around and returned to the dock.  On the way out the cruise narrator told us about the dredging of the waterway and using the “spoil” to create islands in the area.  We saw both Brown Pelicans and Double-Crested Cormorants flying and diving into the water trying to catch fish, but no dolphins.  I was surprised and delighted when several dolphins started following out boat on the way back into dock.  One jumped out of the water not more than six feet from the boat, but I didn’t have my camera ready to capture the moment.