Clearwater Marine Aquarium is excited to welcome you to enjoy the world of marine life rescue with improved safety measures!
Visiting CMA is a family-friendly experience where you will discover wonderful marine animals and learn about our mission to rescue and protect them in the wild. Explore the home of rescued dolphins from spectacular underwater windows in the 1.5-million-gallon Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex or view them from above and soak in the beautiful Clearwater Bay vista on the spacious Dolphin Terrace. See our rescue work in action and view sea turtle patients in our working marine animal hospital or watch how the resident animals receive daily enrichment from our animal care team. Throughout your visit, health and safety for you, our staff and the animals we care for is our priority.
How We’re Keeping Everyone Safe
CMA has implemented significant safety precautions to protect staff, animals, and guests while ensuring a fun and educational visit.
Among the many safety measures, Clearwater Marine Aquarium has the following:
- Touchless transactions
- Signs and floor decals to promote social distancing
- Increased number of hand sanitizing stations available to guests throughout our facility.
- Advanced reservations where guests may select an arrival date and time
- Barriers at transaction areas
Security Bag Checks
For the safety and security of our guests, team members, and animals, a security screening procedure is being implemented at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Bag searches may be conducted utilizing a metal wand, a freestanding metal detector, or via a manual search through personal items with a dowel. All bags, backpacks, purses, and packages will be subject to inspection. Random screening or Total Population Screening may also be utilized.
The following items are prohibited and not permitted inside CMA facilities: firearms, knives, razor blades, pepper spray, chemical agents, stun guns, collapsible batons, glass bottles, alcohol, and any other item that would affect the safety and security of our animals (such as laser pointers, strobe lights, and fireworks). These items MAY be left in securely locked vehicles prior to entry into the facility.
The following illegal items are not permitted on CMA property at all, and may not be left in securely locked vehicles prior to entry: explosives, illegal drugs, or drug paraphernalia.
We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining the safety of our animals, guests, and team members at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Following current CDC guidelines, face coverings are recommended for all guests while indoors. Guests who have had their vaccines are not required to wear a face covering onsite. Anyone participating in animal interactions or who has direct animal contact is required to wear a face covering to protect our animals. It is requested that non-vaccinated guests continue to wear face coverings onsite. Face coverings are defined as a mask, buff, or face shield.
Exposure to COVID-19 is an inherent risk in any public location where people are present; we cannot guarantee you will not be exposed during your visit. The CDC recommends that people get fully vaccinated. Per the CDC, vaccines are safe and highly effective at protecting people from severe COVID-19. Getting fully vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you. The CDC still recommends prevention measures for unvaccinated people. For more information see www.cdc.gov.
How You Can Visit Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Home to rescued marine animals, Clearwater Marine Aquarium is excited to welcome you with enhanced safety measures. We encourage booking advanced reservations online This allows CMA to provide a unique experience, with limited capacity for social distancing, while ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness.
Tickets and Visits
- All guests are encouraged to pre-purchase their tickets online on our website or by calling reservations.
- Admission tickets have a scheduled start time. Please choose your visit dates and times carefully.
Arriving and Parking at CMA
- Guests arriving in personal/rental vehicles are encouraged to pre-pay for parking when booking their visit.
- CMA recommends you arrive with ample time for parking and check-in with our guest services team.
What You Can Expect to See and Enjoy When You Visit CMA
- New Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex – View rescued bottlenose dolphins with numerous breathtaking floor to ceiling underwater windows and a beautiful view of the bay from Dolphin Terrace upstairs.
- Rescue Deck – Meet our resident rescued rough-toothed dolphins, Rex and Rudy.
- Mavis’s Rescue Hideaway – Underwater viewing area with several rescued sea turtles and other marine life
- More Animal Habitat Areas – Explore Otter Oasis, Turtle Cove, Turtle Bayou and Shark Pass.
- Rufus Beach – Great white pelican aviary viewing.
- Stingray beach – View and safely touch our cownose stingrays.
- Marine Animal Hospital – Walk through our working marine animal hospital and see our rescue work in action!
- Dolphin & Wildlife Tour – 60-minute eco-boat tours available for purchase with limited capacity.
- Animal Care Experiences – Close-up experiences and photo opportunities with our resident animals available for purchase!
- Our expert animal care team and all CMA staff will be happy to welcome you and answer any questions!
Visit & Safety Questions and Answers
Tickets are currently available online. Please call reservations if you have any questions or need help booking tickets. 727-441-1790 ext. 0. Tickets are also available on-site, but we recommend booking ahead!
Admission time slots are currently available every half hour. You can stay as long as you like until closing time.
Yes, please call Reservations at 727-441-1790, ext 0. Be sure to bring a photo ID as your reservation will be under your last name. Or, you can make reservations online here.
CMA Members can reserve their admission tickets and select time slots and visit dates starting by selecting the Member Visit ticket online. Please call 727-441-1790 ext. 0 if you have any questions.
Our boat rides are educational and fun – and yes, our eco-boat tours are currently available. You can check the available schedule online.
Educational presentations will be available throughout the day. Schedules may vary. Please check times and locations posted on digital signage when you arrive.
You will have great views of our dolphins, otters and sea turtles! And don’t forget our great white pelicans! A variety of dolphin animal care experiences and photo moments are available now. Stingray feeding is also available every day!
For guests requiring assistance, wheelchairs are available for rent at our Guest Services desk, located on the 3rd level of the aquarium. Wheelchairs are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Daily Fee: $5.00
Deposit: A Refundable $50 deposit is required at the time of rental
Strollers are not available at CMA. Guests are welcome to bring their own strollers or wheelchairs, and we strongly encourage all to thoroughly sanitize wheelchairs and strollers before entering Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Yes, we have increased the number of hand sanitizing stations available to guests throughout our facility.
Following current CDC guidelines, guests and CMA personnel who have had their vaccines will not be required to wear a face covering either inside or outside – except when participating in animal interactions or direct animal contact. Everyone is asked to wear a face covering in these cases to protect our animals.
It is requested that non-vaccinated guests continue to wear face coverings onsite. Face coverings are defined as a mask, buff or face shield.
If you forget your face covering or need an additional one, face masks or face shields may be available for purchase at Ticketing before you enter. Additional masks are available for purchase in our gift shop.
For the comfort of all guests, smoking of tobacco, e-cigarettes or other products that produce a vapor or smoke are not permitted on CMA property.
A variety of freshly prepared menu items are available in our spacious new cafe, including burgers, flatbreads, kids meals and vegetarian options. Fountain drinks and water are available along with beer and wine for guests 21 and up. Outdoor seating is also available on the new Dolphin Terrace.
Temperature checks are no longer required at CMA.
The parking garage now connects directly to the new entrance on the third level at CMA. Shuttles are no longer necessary!
All exhibits are open and our resident animals will be visible.
CMA offers active-duty U.S. military, veterans and teachers discounted admission to Clearwater Marine Aquarium with Appreciation Admission that can be reserved online. Please see our other seasonal special offers. Please call our reservations team at 727-441-1790 ext. 0 to verify third-party promotions or discounts are valid before arriving.
Reservations are recommended but not required for tickets you have purchased from CityPass, Expedia or other ticket providers. You may present your tickets when you arrive at Ticketing to redeem for admission. For more information, please call 727-441-1790 ext. 0.
No weapons of any kind, bicycles, skateboards, recreational scooters, skates, glass containers or balloons permitted at CMA.
For a full list of prohibited items and activities, please visit our Aquarium Rules page.
Please contact us at 727 441-1790 ext. 0 if you have any questions.
If you have any other questions or need to modify your visit plans, please contact our call center at 727-441-1790 ext. 0. We will try to respond as quickly as possible!