Ocean Adventures — School's Out Adventures

March 26, 2022

INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MAMMAL STUDIES

Ocean Adventures Marine Park

10801 Dolphin Ln, Gulfport, MS 39503

“The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) is a research organization located in Gulfport, Mississippi and dedicated to education, conservation, and research on marine mammals in the wild and in captivity. The Institute cares for sick and injured marine mammals in the Mississippi-Louisiana-Alabama subregion of the Gulf Coast. The Institute’s Ocean Adventures Marine Park features shows involving dolphins, sea lions, bird, stingrays, and reptiles.” – Wikipedia

The Institute was listed as a top place to see in Mississippi, so I bought an advanced, timed, ticket as advised on their website. My tickets were actually for the Ocean Adventures Marine Park, not that it mattered what it was called. The park heralded four shows rotated throughout the day, evenly spaced to allow people to go from one to the next until you had seen all four. Each show lasted approximately 10-15 minutes, which considering there were many small children in the audience was probably the appropriate amount of time. There was time between shows to visit the Ray Pool, the Museum and Discovery Center, and the Tweeter Post, the home of several parakeets.

The first show on the itinerary was the Bird Show, where a trainer put a macaw through a routine showing us how the bird can utilize its feet and beak to accomplish many tasks. Next, I attended the Snake and Gator Talk, where a handler brought a black mamba out and talked about the traits of all snakes, and then allowed audience members (mainly children) to come forward to get a close look at the snake. He then brought out a small alligator and briefly spoke about the difference between alligators and crocodiles before allowing people to come forward to get a close-up look at the gator. It was then time for the two shows everyone wanted to see…the Dolphin Show followed by the Sea Lion Show. Both were entertaining and a bit informative, but in my opinion, if you’ve seen one dolphin or sea lion show, you’ve seen them all.

All-in-all, it was a good couple of hours.

An unidentified fish swimming in the Ray Pool.

The museum with a lot of good information, for example, the difference between a dolphin and a porpoise. Conservation was also highlighted.

The Discovery Room with several aquariums.

The Bird Talk with the macaw showing how it uses its feet to do different tasks.

Showing how the macaw can use its beak, but also how it can be trained to do certain tasks. The trainer compared the bird to a two-year-old child, that stays that way for up to 80 years.

The Snake and Gator Show. Allowing the audience to bet a close look at the Black Mamba.

The Gator portion of the Snake and Gator Show.

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