Marine Life Park Focuses on Education, Interaction
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By GERRY and PAMELA BARKER
North Palm Beach Life Published May, 2019 Related: Food Tour, Sightseeing ST. THOMAS_Some 20 minutes from the cruise docks, and adjacent to one of this island's most beautiful beaches for snorkeling, is Coral World Ocean Park. Situated on Coki Point, More than just another marine life park, it's home for citizens of land, sea and air. On a recent visit, we got a tour of this picturesque facility. Our guide was Valerie Peters, Coral World's director of marketing. While sustaining significant damage from the two hurricanes that raked the island in 2017, much has been restored, and what remains to be done won't hamper your enjoyment of what Coral World has to offer. Initially opened in 1978, it has grown to become the island's top attraction, offering a variety of exhibits and interactive experiences. Our tour started at the imposing Undersea Observatory Tower. Flanked at the entrance by two turtle pools, it's three-story tower, half of which is under the sea. Please join us and Valerie as we see what Coral World has to offer, including their newest and most ambitious attraction to date -- a Dolphin Sea Sanctuary. Photos/Video by North Palm Beach Life |
6450 Coki Point, St Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802
VISIT THE CORAL WORLD WEBSITE 
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Watch the world under the waves, up close and personal...
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The Undersea Observatory is 100 feet offshore
You can opt to try Sea Trek and explore the coral reef just like a SCUBA diver.
A worker drops frozen food
to the delight of dozens of large fish, boiling the waters below. |
A diver feeding the fish. Since it is open to the ocean, any fish is welcome at this diner!
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From sea to air, getting cozy with Australian Lorikeets...
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Get some nectar and you'll have some lorikeet friends for life! One even posed with Gerry for a selfie, and Pam had them eating out of her hand. That's Loren, bottom center, who takes good care of these rainbow lorikeets, native to Australia.
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Next Stop -- The Sea Lion Show!
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Freddie the Sea Lion is youngest sea lion at Coral World, but he's a big boy -- 758 pounds and growing. There are shows throughout the day, and an encounter who can opt for as well.
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Nature is on display throughout the park ...
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You can hold a starfish at the Touch Pool, left, or watch the iguanas get some sun. Valerie holds a turtle while visitors below hand-feed the sting rays.
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The Caribbean Reef Encounter is a window to the sea...
The Caribbean Reef Encounter is like your home aquarium -- if it held 80,000 gallons!
Water is pumped in at a rate of 15,000 gallons an hour, and since
it is open, reef life thrives in a natural setting.
Water is pumped in at a rate of 15,000 gallons an hour, and since
it is open, reef life thrives in a natural setting.
The newest attraction -- the Dolphin Sea Sanctuary
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The Sea Sanctuary is the park's most ambitious addition to date, housing four Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, moved to St. Thomas from Dolphinaris Arizona last February. Seven years in the planning, they note it's "the first of its kind to be opened that meets the federal government’s Marine Mammal Protection Act and Animal Welfare Act requirements" and features a large swim space safely enclosed by a mesh barrier. "The sanctuary also includes several specially designated areas to facilitate animal healthcare and an area where dolphins can spend time away from other dolphins or guests if they choose. The habitat includes proactive safety measures including special liners and filtration systems that can be activated during natural or man-made emergencies."
Quoting from their press release: “After seven years of careful planning we are thrilled to welcome four dolphins to the Coral World family,” said Lee Kellar, Coral World Ocean Park General Curator. “The dolphins will live in our newly developed St. Thomas Sea Sanctuary, a first-of-its-kind 69,000 square-foot ocean habitat that introduces the dolphins to a natural environment with the added advantage of being cared for by licensed veterinarians and dolphin experts who are dedicated to their health and wellbeing.”
Guests can choose to participate in a "Dolphin Splash" -- a "unique, unscripted in-water encounter tailored for you." Valerie emphasized how it's really up to the dolphins whether they choose to interact or not. Just like people, they have their own moods, too.
Quoting from their press release: “After seven years of careful planning we are thrilled to welcome four dolphins to the Coral World family,” said Lee Kellar, Coral World Ocean Park General Curator. “The dolphins will live in our newly developed St. Thomas Sea Sanctuary, a first-of-its-kind 69,000 square-foot ocean habitat that introduces the dolphins to a natural environment with the added advantage of being cared for by licensed veterinarians and dolphin experts who are dedicated to their health and wellbeing.”
Guests can choose to participate in a "Dolphin Splash" -- a "unique, unscripted in-water encounter tailored for you." Valerie emphasized how it's really up to the dolphins whether they choose to interact or not. Just like people, they have their own moods, too.
Coral World Ocean Park has a gift shop, as well the Shark Bar and Grill. Admission to Coral World is $20 for adults, and $11 for children. Hours are 9 am to 4 pm, with doors closing at 3 pm.
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Our thanks to Valerie Peters, left, and Keezi Pinney,
with the Virgin islands Dept. of Tourism, for their hospitality. |