The Harris Family: Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Clearwater Beach

Day four I needed a break from so much walking. My poor poor feet! The kids had watched both dolphin tail movies and loved them. We figured, since we were so close, we might as well visit and make it a day trip by visiting the beach too.

This was probably my favorite day of our trip. It was very laid back. A day we were able to just enjoy each other and enjoy being together.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium helps rescue, rehabilitate and release sick or injured marine animals back into the ocean. Most of the animals they help rehabilitate have to stay at the facility since they have permanent injuries that prevent their return back into the ocean.

We were so excited to see Winter, a bottlenose dolphin who was rescued after having her tail caught in a crab trap. She lost her tail because of her injury. CMA fitted her with a prosthetic tail. That pretty much sums up the first movie.

Hope, Winter's BFF, was found in shallow water with her mother who had died when she was 3 months old. She was dehydrated and CMA nursed her back to health. Hope couldn't be returned to the ocean because she lacked the necessary skills to survive. Skills she would have learned from being with her mother. So, since Winter needed a companion, they put them together. That kinda sums up the second movie.

Here is a picture of the house boat Reed, aka Kris Kristofferson, lived in.

There were pictures up throughout the aquarium showing which scenes were filmed in that spot. It was pretty cool and I can't wait to watch the movies again.

We also saw another dolphin, Nicholas. Nicholas and his mother had washed ashore on a beach in Florida. They were both severely sunburned. Nicholas' mother didn't make it. Nicholas is a permanent resident of CMA because of the sunburn and damage it has done to his skin. It was white, which you can't see in pictures. Lauren wanted to know if someone put sunscreen on him.

I enjoyed reading about each of the animals, what happen to bring them to CMA, and the progress they have made. They also listed what they liked and didn't like and what their personalities were. They have an ICU that was mostly filled with turtles. Most of which had swallowed plastic bags or other man made materials. It was so sad. We did learn that turtles can feel through their shell and most turtles like to be scratched on their shells. Pretty interesting. So, the next time you see a turtle, give him a good ole back scratchin.

There were also sharks, fish and other things you would see at an aquarium. All who had to be rehabilitated.

They had sting rays you could pet. I was very surprised Dallas stuck his hand in to pet one. He has inherited a lot of my OCD tendencies and having clean hands is one of them. He also doesn't like to be wet. Especially his clothes. In the end, all of them stuck their hand in to pet them.

Kristen had asked if they would have any star fish. I told her I didn't think they would, but surprisingly they did. And they were able to hold some different kinds of snails. They even got to learn about them and ask questions. Kristen questions were mostly about the star fish.

After the aquarium we ate some lunch, then headed to Clearwater Beach.

The kids wrote their names in the sand.

The sand on the part of the beach that we were at was so different than any of the beaches we have been to.

The girls tried to build something, but it just wasn't happening.

Some parts of the beach that were really crowded had sand that looked very light and fluffy. There were also these piles of little shells on the beach too.