Video: Blue Reef Seal Interaction

Blue Reef Seal Interaction

I went to Blue Reef Aquarium at Tynemouth again today, and I had my best interaction yet with the seals there! I was shaking my cuddly seal around in front of the glass, and one of them came over to investigate what was going on, and followed it around. I did it again, this time with the camera filming it, and two of them stopped swimming and watched the toy for a bit. Then, one swam off but the other came closer to me and was watching me for a bit before it swam off. I'm not sure, but I think the seals were Selina and Sofus. Whoever they were, it was great fun to play with them and they were so cute and curious! I'll upload the video later! Also, I noticed that Blue Reef was building something new, possibly the rescue centre that one of the trainers mentioned last time? If so, I may be able to volunteer there. Fingers crossed!

No Germany Trip

Sadly, I will not be going on the Germany trip to see the Amazon river dolphins at Duisburg Zoo as I pulled out. No one else that I knew was going and 8 days in a foreign country with no one you know isn't very fun. So sadly, I may now never see an Amazon river dolphin in my life but I may one day be lucky enough to have a second opportunity to visit Duisburg and see them. Who knows? In the meantime, I'll keep up my swimming skills (I haven't been to swimming recently because I've been ill a lot) and my scuba diving skills too, because the last time I went diving was July or August, I think. Anyway, I'll probably get another chance to see some dolphins and interact with them in the near future. I hope.

Blue Reef Aquarium Interaction!

I went to Blue Reef Aquarium at Tynemouth today, where I got to watch two seal shows, talk to the trainers and have an interaction! When I talked to the trainers, they said that it's really hard to get a job in marine mammal training and, sadly, you have to be 18 to volunteer there. So I'd be waiting 5 years before I could volunteer. I did watch two of the shows- very entertaining- and after the second show (which I watched from underwater to get some more unusual video shots), I managed to get a very quick interaction with one of the seals (I don't know who). Basically, I was moving my hand around the glass and the seal came over and had a quick look. It happened a couple of times, so it was an interaction. I'll able to get stills from the video I took of the interaction, so I will post them on the Interaction Photos page when I can be bothered!

Germany Trip Allowed!

I am allowed on the Germany trip, which means that I will be seeing the dolphins and Amazon river dolphins at Duisburg Zoo. This is seriously so exciting! I'm already looking forward to it, but it's not until July that we go, so I have a long time to wait. But I'm sure it will be more than worth the wait! And if I want to talk to the trainers, I'm going to need to improve my German language skills- a lot! But there's underwater viewing for both of the dolphin species, although the river dolphins don't do a show. I will probably buy some cuddly toys and try for an interaction through the glass, although I won't spend all day by the dolphins, because I'll be with my non-dolphin-loving friends. But oh well- at least I'll be seeing some dolphins!

Blackpool Zoo

Last weekend, I went to Blackpool and while I was there, I visited the Zoo, which had sealions. I watched two of the shows, which were very entertaining and educational, but I sadly made a mistake in my research as there was no underwater viewing. One sealion did, however, come over briefly and have a look at me, but that the nearest thing to an interaction. I did, though, talk to one of the trainers. He told me all sorts of extremely useful information about becoming a trainer, including:

• Going to an animal college is a very good idea
• Experience is more important than a degree in marine biology
• Volunteer at zoos/aquariums as much as possible
• Dolphinaria will probably be back in the UK by the time I'm 18 (I was so excited by this!)
• Getting any job at a zoo/aquarium/marine park will help get a job in training
• Dolphin trainers are poorly paid
• It is harder to get a dolphin training job in Florida
• Maths and science are very important in becoming a trainer

 So yes... the trip to Blackpool Zoo was very beneficial!

Dolphin Encounter Next Year?

Next year, I may possibly be going to Germany with school. While there, I will be visiting Duisburg Zoo, which is home to two different dolphin species: the bottlenose dolphin and the Amazon river dolphin. Obviously, I will watch the shows, try and get an interaction and maybe even talk to a trainer (depends how my German language skills are by then) . It will be very exciting to see the Amazon river dolphin (known as Baby) because it's really rare to keep river dolphins in captivity. Hopefully, I will be able to get on this trip, so I can see lots of amazing new dolphins. I'll keep you posted.

A Few Days Until Blackpool Zoo!

On Saturday, I am going to Blackpool Zoo with my parents and some relatives we have that live there. And guess what? There's sealions at the zoo, so I might get the chance to talk to the trainers about becoming a marine mammal trainer! Also, I do believe there is a big underwater viewing area, so I may also get the chance for some interaction time too. The following day, we may also be going to the SeaLife Centre at Blackpool. They don't have seals/sea lions though. I will keep you posted about my adventures there, and whether I get an interaction or now. Fingers crossed!

More About Aquarium Volunteering

I've been looking on some aquarium websites and found that Blue Reef doesn't appear to offer volunteering, sadly. However, Sea Life Scarborough does. So does The Deep, an amazing aquarium in Hull I visited in the winter last year. The problem with The Deep is that a) Hull is a quite a few hours' drive from where I live and b) you have to be in Year 10 or over. I'm only in Year 8 right now. The other option is, of course, Sea Life Centre. I can't find anything about it on their website, but I know you can volunteer because the seal trainer said. I've also seen volunteers at the sealion enclosure at FlamingoLand, but that's also quite far away to travel to every day. I'll think about it.

Aquarium Volunteering and the Story So Far

I'm thinking of volunteering at an aquarium next year in order to get some experience working with marine mammals. At the moment, I'm thinking of either Blue Reef Aquarium in South Shields, or the Sea Life Centre at Scarborough, both of which hold seals. I know you can volunteer at Sea Life, (I was talking to one of the seal trainers there on my last visit about a month ago) but I don't know about Blue Reef. Blue Reef would be of course much nearer than Scarborough, which is about an hour and a half away from home. And as I would be volunteering in the summer holidays, I might be going to the aquarium quite a few times a week so it can't really be far away. I'll think about it...

In other news is the story so far. Obviously, I started this blog, what, an hour ago perhaps? Either way, I thought I'd share my story. Basically, it started at Barcelona Zoo in Spain in 2005, when I was five years old. I saw the dolphins swimming around through the underwater viewing glass and instantly fell in love with them. And, after seeing a performance of the dolphin show, I decided that I wanted to be a dolphin trainer. In 2008, I visited Florida and went to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Discovery Cove. While here, I saw belugas, killer whales, psuedorcas and Commerson's dolphins. I then also swam with dolphins and interacted with the Commerson's dolphins at Aquatica. This was where my love for dolphins just grew and grew and grew. Since then, I have seen and interacted with lots more marine mammals, and I learned the general qualifications and skills you need to be a dolphin trainer. Now, it's just a matter of getting them all them skills and qualifications. I already have some: I'm a confident swimmer, I have a scuba certificate, I have prior experience working with animals... and I'm working on a lifeguard course, part of which includes CPR training. So if I work hard enough, I will hopefully one day fulfill my dream of working with dolphins or killer whales (or any other cetacean).

Lastly, here are some photos of marine mammal interactions that I've decided to share with you all:

Me and the Commerson's dolphins

Interacting with seals at Sea Life Scarborough

More interacting

This one's so cute

He's gone right upside-down!

Welcome to 'Just Me And The Dolphins'

Hello and welcome to 'Just Me And The Dolphins'. This is my second blog, (you can find my first here) which is all about me working towards my dream of becoming a dolphin or killer whale trainer at SeaWorld Orlando or Marineland Antibes. I'll be posting about all thing related to that, whether it's volunteering at an aquarium, interacting with a marine mammal, or even something small like training the dog or having a swimming lesson. Every little think like this will help me become a dolphin/killer whale trainer. Hope you enjoy the blog, because there's lots of exciting stuff that's going to be happening here. :) Bye for now!