Marineland

Book excerpt: Marine Studios made history on June 23, 1938, when over 30,000 people crowded a quiet stretch of Florida coastline near St. Augustine to witness sea life, as it had never been seen before--through 200 underwater portholes. Developed by three innovative entrepreneurs with ties to Hollywood, the newly coined term "oceanarium" described their novel concept as a place where marine life existed together. As the world's first oceanarium, Marine Studios sparked the country's imagination, displaying rare and unusual creatures in daily performances that included brave divers hand feeding sharks and handsome sailors presenting friendly dolphins in amazing aerial feats. Behind the scenes, Marine Studios perfected scientific innovations, breeding and raising the first dolphin calf, discovering dolphin echolocation, and featuring Flippy, the first trained dolphin in the world's first dolphin show!