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Aquarium Facelift Turns The Tide

News Channel 8 photo by Paul Lamison

Panama the dolphin poses for guests in the newly painted dolphin area at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

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By CARLOS MONCADA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 20, 2008

Updated: 02/20/2008 12:55 pm

CLEARWATER - The Clearwater Marine Aquarium has a new look.

Closed for six weeks, the once-drab aquarium reopened Tuesday morning after being redesigned and refurbished, including additional exhibits and viewing areas.

Among the changes are windows in the dolphin pool; an Imax-style, 100-seat theater to view movies about sea life; and an expanded gift shop.

"We decided to completely upgrade the look and feel of the guest experience," said David Yates, chief executive officer of the aquarium, a former sewage treatment plant on Island Estates, between Clearwater Beach and the mainland.

The nonprofit marine animal rescue center also unveiled a life-size statue of Winter, the tailless dolphin whose story about receiving a prosthetic rear fin has grabbed attention worldwide.

Winter, a 2-year-old Atlantic bottlenose, and another dolphin stayed at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota while the work was in progress. Other aquatic animals were kept in temporary holding tanks.

The cost of the improvements is estimated at $600,000, which is being paid by Clearwater and by the aquarium through donations, fundraisers and admission fees. A second construction phase is planned within the next few months.

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at cmoncada@tampatrib.com or (727) 451-2333.

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