Marineland Dolphin Adventure St. Augustine, FL

This place has gone down hill in the past years. If you plan on going just know all their "exhibits" consist of a tank with a turtle in it you can barely see, a tortoise in a small enclosure and the dolphins. I did the swim with dolphins yesterday and I was taken back by the lack of space they have for 6+ adult dolphins. When I went back in 2020 there were I believe only a couple and now there are over six in a tiny tank. I can't imagine being stuck in there and having to do tricks all day. I'm all for conservation but the feeling i got was greed. You have to pay 20.00 admission per person, the swim encounters are 170.00 and up and last an hour. We had to book our appt. and had to play back and forth over email to get anyone to talk to. I'm truly wondering how this is ethical in any way to keep so many intelligent large animals in a small tank for profit. I have video of them all cramped up in a super small tank while a couple others were in the larger tank doing tricks for people. If I would have known this place was doing this i would never have gone or paid money to fund it. It should be shut down until proper tanks are built or just shut down completely.

Once in a lifetime! A MUST DO!! We are so grateful for the experience that we had at Marineland June 2025. The staff were friendly and the trainers were knowledgeable and seemed to really love their jobs. We learned SO much about dolphins and seeing a dolphin up close and touching a dolphin brings a whole new perspective. The education about the dolphins is not only fascinating but it helps one recognize the importance of being a good steward of our planet. The DOLPHIN ENCOUNTER that we paid for was AMAZING! The power that these mammals possess is incredible, their skin is like nothing we’ve ever felt before and the interactions we had were truly remarkable. We would go back again and again. The dolphins range in age from 8 to 50ish. They all have personalities and skill sets. They are the great entertainers. Prior to going to Marineland, we struggled with the dolphins in captivity principle and even questioned if it was the right thing to do, but after our trip we think these dolphins are well adjusted and well cared for. They seem to enjoy the human interactions and without these opportunities we believe they would succumb to boredom. Because they cannot be released back to the wild, I think the right thing to do is what Marineland does. They care deeply for them and provide stimulating activities so that they remain well adjusted and healthy. I hope the dolphins (especially Shaka) know in some strange way how indebted we feel for the time that we spent interacting with them. I hope one day they will have even more space but until that day comes, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a visit to Marineland.

We paid $20 to have our photos taken with the dolphins after the dolphin talk but nobody told us we would have to pay an additional $70 just to get actual photos to download. Seeing the dolphins was nice, but waiting an 1hr for the next talk with no shade in the blaring sun was not a good experience.

In terms of just going to look at anything, I wouldn't. In the front you will find pools with sharks and tortoises. There is also a lot of educational information and examples. We booked a dolphin swim, specifically the Swim Adventure. My husband did the meet & greet as he had no interest in getting wet. We killed time waiting by looking around out front and eating at the food truck which was good. Walking back to the Dolphin encounters is very beautiful. Our dolphin encounters were wonderful! How could you not love meeting and swimming with them?! If you are doing that, then definitely go!

After reading the reviews, I didn't know what to expect. However, it turned out to be interesting. The main thing is to make sure to arrive so you can take the Sea to Shore tour (free and offered several times per day). That's where we got to get up close to the dolphin exhibit and enter the aquarium area. Otherwise, you miss out on a lot. There's supposed to be a Food Truck called Flipperz on site. However, they weren't operating it that Saturday. The staff who lead the tours really love all the animals and it's fun to see their enthusiasm.