September 8 · 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

21+ Event | Live Music| Signature Food & Drinks

Enjoy access to visit the rescued dolphins, sea turtles, stingrays and other resident animals and explore a number of marine life habitats that will be viewable during the evening hours.

Tickets

*All prices and event details subject to change. Refunds are not available for any events. Late arrivals, cancellations, and no shows will not be refunded or rescheduled.

Enhance Your Tasting Experience With an Event Lanyard

Buy an event lanyard for six sample sized tastes. 

• ANY FOOD ITEM
• SAMPLE SIZE- BEER
• SAMPLE SIZE- WINE
• SAMPLE SIZE- EVENT-THEMED SIGNATURE COCKTAIL

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Evening Activities

Evening Schedule

5:30 pm

Latin Performers Greeting Guests

Dolphin Terrace – Level 3

6:30 pm

Latin Performers Greeting Guests

Dolphin Terrace – Level 3

6:30 pm

VIP Dolphin Presentation

Window of Wonder – Level 1

6:45 pm

VIP Latin Dance Duo

VIP Lounge – Level 4

7:00 pm

Manatee Mission in Latin America – Dr. Anmari Alvarez Aleman: Director of Caribbean Research

Atlantis Theater – Level 1

7:00 pm

Cigar Rolling Presentation – 7pm-9pm

Dolphin Terrace – Level 3

7:00 pm

Stilt Walker Performance

VIP – Level 4

7:30 pm

Dolphin Presentation

Window of Wonder – Level 1

7:30 pm

VIP Salsa Lessons

VIP Lounge – Level 4

7:45 pm

Amigos de las Tortugas – Yvette Fernández: Supervisor of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program

Atlantis Theater – Level 1

8:00 pm

Stilt Walker Performance

Dolphin Terrace – Level 3

8:10 pm

Salsa Lessons

Dolphin Terrace – Level 3

8:45 pm

Beginning of La Hora Loca

VIP – Level 4 to Dolphin Terrace – Level 3

9:00 pm

La Hora Loca

Dolphin Terrace – Level 3

Speaker Presentations

Learn all about how we’re educating the Spanish-speaking community In the Tampa Bay Area and beyond on sea turtles, manatees, and marine life conservation with exclusive presentations from our biologists!

Yvette Fernández: Supervisor of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program

Dr. Anmari Alvarez Aleman: Director of Caribbean Research

About Yvette Fernandez

Yvette Fernández is the supervisor of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program. She was born in Queens, NY, to a Colombian mother and a Dominican father. She grew up in Pereira, Colombia, a city in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. She moved back to the U.S. when she was 13. She lived in Sarasota, FL where she finished her middle school and high school years. In 2008, Yvette received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of South Florida. After finishing her degree, she completed her first internship with Mote Marine Sea Turtle Conservation program doing morning nesting patrols. It was with this internship that she fell in love with Sea turtles. In 2011, she worked as a night tagging biologist with Mote Sea Turtle conservation program and traveled to Uruguay under a scholarship to take a one-week course on Sea Turtle conservation and rehabilitation.

Yvette has been with Clearwater Marine Aquarium for almost 11 years. She started as a marine mammal volunteer back in 2012, then in 2015, she was hired by the Education Department as a Marine life and Environmental Educator. In 2016, she volunteered with the sea turtle nesting department, and in 2017, she got hired as a biologist for the Sea Turtle Conservation Program. In 2018, in collaboration with Inwater Research Group, she started working on a unique program to educate the Spanish-speaking community in the Tampa Bay area on sea turtle conservation: Amigos de Las Tortugas. The program has successfully educated over 700 people in the Tampa Bay area, and this year (2023) the program expanded internationally to Mexico and Colombia and will hopefully continue to expand to other Latin American countries. She has also been awarded the opportunity to speak about her novel program at both the state and international levels.

About Dr. Anmari Alvarez Aleman

Dr. Anmari Alvarez Aleman has been working with manatees, dolphins and the coastal communities that interact with these species for more than 15 years. Her passion for marine mammals and conservation began as a youth growing up in Cuba leading her to pursue academic studies and a career in this field as an adult. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Havana, Cuba, in 2006. After completing that degree, she worked with the Center for Marine Research at the University of Havana, with a focus on the conservation of the Antillean manatee. In 2010, she completed her master’s degree in Integrated Management of Coastal Zones. In 2015 she was granted an assistantship position at the University of Florida and became the first Cuban student to hold this opportunity in more than 50 years. She began to pursue a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Ecology with a concentration on Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. The core of her research was population genetics and the conservation of the West Indian manatee with a focus on Cuba. After four years of research and studies, and the birth of a baby boy, she graduated in December 2019.

Her research has generated scientific knowledge to support governmental actions to benefit species and habitats on both local and regional levels. She has published her findings in scientific journals and presented at several workshops and international conferences. She collaborates with the scientific group of the Manatee Monitoring Program of the National System of Protected Areas, Cuba. She is the Co-Chair of the Sirenia Specialist Group, IUCN. As the Caribbean Program Director at Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, she designs, implements, and oversees research and conservation projects of marine megafauna and their habitats in the Caribbean region. Some of her current research includes understanding the connection between the Cuban and Florida manatee population and generating knowledge about the importance of Marine Protected Areas for manatee conservation in the Caribbean.

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Net proceeds from this event benefit Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s ongoing mission to rescue, rehab, and release more marine life.

Please Note:

• In order to purchase or consume an alcoholic beverage, guests must be 21 or older. Additionally, you will be required to present valid identification to verify your age.
• Event includes access to select areas of Clearwater Marine Aquarium, including the Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex and Visitor Center.
• All prices and event details subject to change. Refunds are not available for any SunSips by the Bay events. Late arrivals, cancellations, and no shows will not be refunded or rescheduled.
• All alcohol sales will end at 9:10pm.

Dress attire is casual.

Please note that while we encourage a relaxed and comfortable dress code for this event, we kindly request that guests refrain from wearing bathing suits or any overly revealing clothing. We ask that appropriate clothing be worn to cover the torso and be suitable for public spaces. This may include items such as t-shirts, blouses, shorts, jeans, skirts, and dresses. Shoes or sandals are also required.

We reserve the right to refuse entry or ask guests to leave if their attire does not comply with our dress code policy. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to a fun and enjoyable event for all.