Exclusive “Behind the Scenes” Insights of the Movie Dolphin Tale!

Volunteering at Clearwater Marine Aquarium During Movie Filming

I volunteered at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) from 2009- 2016. Every week I worked on the turtle volunteer team, which takes care of CMA’s sea turtles, sharks, and stingrays.

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to be at CMA during the filming of both movies.

When I heard about the movie plans, I was worried the film wouldn’t reflect the true rescue/rehabilitate/release mission of the aquarium. Plus, at that time CMA was largely run by volunteers.

The filming experience and Dolphin Tale Movie exceeded my expectations.

Winters’s unexpected passing was a shock. Her death brought back many happy memories from my time as a volunteer at CMA.

As a tribute to Winter, here are my favorite memories from the filming of Dolphin Tale.

Article Summary

1. The Fish Milkshake
2. Pelican Escape
3. Strange Stingrays
4. Happy Houseboat
5. Two Male Dolphins = One Female
6. Homeless Man or Famous Actor?
7. Yes, A Recycled Wastewater Treatment Plant
8. Where is Winters Prosthetic Tail?
9. Fake Cameras
10. Animal Rights
11. True Inspiration

1. The Fish Milkshake

In Dolphin Tale, Sawyer and Hazel try to stop an exploding blender of fish. This scene wasn’t in the original script.

The production crew observed the turtle volunteer team preparing the daily fish gruel and added it to the movie.

Fish gruel is a shake of blended fish mixed with a vitamin drink that is used to feed injured Sea Turtles that cannot eat on their own.

2. Pelican Escape

African white pelicans played Rufus in the film.

One of the pelicans that played Rufus flew off with a group of our Florida brown pelicans during a weekend training session.

The trainers got in the car, followed, and tracked down the bird. They were very relieved when they got back to the aquarium with the pelican.

3. Strange Stingrays

One of the strangest and most unexpected things that happened during filming involved our stingrays! Shutting down CMA to film the movie caused a change in the stingray’s behavior.

The aquarium closed for two months during filming. The stingrays became agitated and assertive with each other.

CMA sent out an email asking volunteers to come in and pet the stingrays. They missed their public!!!

4. Happy Houseboat

The fantastic houseboat that Hazel and her family live on was only supposed to be in a few scenes.

The director liked the finished houseboat so much that it was used in more scenes than originally planned.

5. Two Male Dolphins = One Female

In the movie a female dolphin character was portrayed by our two male dolphins, Indy and Nicholas.

6. Homeless Man or Famous Actor?

The first week filming started I showed up at the aquarium for my regular Sunday volunteer shift.

Everyone was talking about Kris Kristofferson (Hazel’s Grandfather), a last-minute addition to the cast.

The first time he showed up at CMA, very early in the morning, security didn’t know who he was and wouldn’t let him in.  

7. Yes, A Recycled Wastewater Treatment Plant

A popular question is “Where was Dolphin Tale filmed?”

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a converted wastewater treatment plant.

The real CMA didn’t look the same as the one in the movie. After the movie release, I was asked questions and heard complaints about this from visitors.

Eventually, sets and props from the film were installed in another building and opened to the public.

Since the movie’s release, the original building has been expanded with several additions and upgrades.

8. Where is Winters Prosthetic Tail?

Visitors to CMA were surprised to learn that Winter didn’t always wear her prosthetic tail.

The prosthetic tail was used for physical therapy a few times a week.

Every time Winter outgrew the old tail, a new tail was made for her.

CMA has an entire collection of Winter’s prosthetic tails.

9. Fake Cameras

Fake cameras were placed in and around the dolphin pools for months before filming began. The dolphins got comfortable with movie equipment being around them before movie production started.

10. Animal Rights

The aquarium never “forced” the dolphins to film Dolphin Tale.

The CMA dolphin trainers were always on set during movie production.

They stopped filming if any of the dolphins didn’t want to participate in that day’s film scene.

11. True Inspiration

I witnessed so many inspirational happenings at CMA during my time as a volunteer.

However, one woman’s story I will never forget.

I met her during filming. She lost her leg in combat and told me that she had been suffering from depression.

She began visiting CMA and sitting by Winter’s tank. Winter inspired her and helped her through her depression.

This woman ended up starting her own company, frequently worked with CMA, and was an extra in the movie.

A Few Last Thoughts

Before Dolphin Tale, 90% of the aquarium staff were volunteers or interns.

The volunteer percentage remains high, but due to the increased number of visitors resulting from Dolphin Tale, CMA has found it necessary to hire additional staff.

Volunteers commit to a minimum of 4 hours a week cleaning, preparing food, and medication for the animals.
Everyone at CMA is deeply committed to the aquarium’s mission, which prioritizes providing top-notch care for all its’ animals.

I loved my time as a volunteer, and surprisingly I loved being a part of filming Dolphin Tale.

As a movie extra, I even made it into one of the final crowd scenes – be sure to look for me.

You can stream Dolphin Tale on HBOMax or purchase it on Amazon. Dolphin Tale is not available on Netflix.

If you are looking for a safe and unforgettable family adventure, make sure to read “Where to Snorkel (Safely) with Sharks in Florida!!!”

Where to swim with manatees for free!

Just a 2 hour drive from CMA, find sharks teeth in Venice, FL.

Take your family to Rincon, Puerto Rico for epic family snorkeling right from the beach.