Here at Dolphin Connection people tell us that we have the best jobs in the world. We couldn’t agree more. We get to make a difference to people, animals and the planet every single day. Believe it or not, sometimes we want to do even more. Dolphin trainers have big hearts, as is evident in the dedicated care they provide to the animals, and these big hearts make a big difference in our little Florida Keys community.

One member of training team is a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of the Middle Keys. She says that after moving to the Florida Keys, she quickly learned that there was more to island life than coral reefs and dolphins. “I wanted to find a way to become more involved in our small town.  As a dolphin trainer, you give everything to the animals you love.  We give them top-of-the-line healthcare, we make sure their food is perfect, and we do constant maintenance on their home.  Giving the same to people in my own community is just as important.  Everyone deserves to have a home as nice as our dolphins have!” The parallels between our work with dolphins and our volunteer experience in the community continue:  “At work we dedicate hours of our day to cleaning, preparing fish, and maintaining a healthy habitat for our dolphins. The reward for our hard work is indescribable - energetic, healthy animals that we introduce to our guests every day.  As a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, we dedicate ourselves to fundraising, board meetings and land clearing and in return we get to watch a family accept the keys to their new house!”

Clearly, the motivation to provide a healthy and happy home for an animal is not all that different from the motivation to do the same for a family. What other job skills do dolphin trainers have that can benefit our local island community? One of our dolphin trainers volunteers as a soccer coach for a youth league. She says that coaching children has many similarities to training dolphins. “Dolphins and kids both have a lot of energy and they both respond best to positive reinforcement!  As a trainer at Dolphin Connection, it's in our blood to give our all in everything we do.  At the end of the work day, we don’t just turn that feeling off.  I'm grateful that I've found such rewarding ways to give back to my town, both personally and professionally.”

While none of the members of Dolphin Connection team are originally from the Florida Keys, we have all made it our home. So much more than just beautiful sunsets and swimming with dolphins, our small island chain is a close-knit community and we eagerly invite you to visit us here at Hawks Cay Resort for some well-deserved relaxation. See you soon!

For all the reasons that people love the Florida Keys – beautiful sunsets, sand between their toes, swimming with dolphins – one amazing aspect of the Keys is frequently overlooked. Did you know that the Florida Keys are home to the only living barrier reef in the mainland United States? Not only does this reef make an amazing home to beautiful marine life, it also provides residents and visitors to the Keys a unique opportunity to have a direct impact – for better or for worse – on one of the most diverse and rich ecosystems on Earth. Here at Dolphin Connection we strive to teach our guests about how to gently enjoy our barrier reef and maybe even leaving it better than they found it.

Several coral reef conservation groups in the area provide volunteer opportunities for anyone who would like to participate in long- or short-term reef research projects. Visiting the Keys for a weekend? For the summer? Forever? There are many ways that you can ensure that you have a positive impact on this precious island chain.

The Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) has volunteer opportunities for divers to help with fish identification and population estimates. This ongoing project allows us to better understand the diversity and the health of some of the residents of our coral reef environment. Currently, one threat to our native species is the presence of an invasive species called a Lionfish. This voracious fish is not native to the Florida Keys but is now competing heavily with, and even preying on, our local fish species. The effects of the Lionfish on the distribution and population of native species is another conservation project that volunteers can assist with through REEF. Information about this organization, as well as the programs they’re involved with and all the ways in which you can help, can be found at www.reef.org.

The Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) is dedicated to creating offshore nurseries and restoration programs for threatened coral species. They have created an underwater coral nursery which they tend to and protect. With so many coral reefs, including our own in the Florida Keys, being threatened, this nursery may be crucial to their long term survival. CRF is always looking for volunteer divers who can help with the care of this beautiful nursery. If diving isn’t your area of interest, you can assist with education presentations at the CRF Education Center in Key Largo.

Here at Dolphin Connection, not only do we teach about coral reef conservation, we are also active participants. Members of our team volunteer on their own time with both REEF and CRF. As one Dolphin Connection trainer said, “I take so much pleasure from the ocean. It’s time I gave back.” How do you take care of our planet and our oceans? We’d love to hear all the wonderful conservation behaviors you’re already engaged in or intend to begin. Visit our website at dolphinconnection.com/share_your_experience. Meanwhile, as you plan your visit to the Keys in the coming months, why don’t you look into all the wonderful ways you can tread a little lighter and leave the Keys a little healthier? Thank you for loving our home as much as we do.

Spring is finally here!  As we look forward to welcoming all the spring breakers ready to soak up some glorious sunshine at Hawks Cay Resort, we’d like to share some wonderful news.  Here at Dolphin Connection, we received the most amazing Valentine’s Day gift we could ever imagine: a new dolphin to join our family.

On February 14, a specially chartered airplane brought a very special 8-year-old, along with a specially trained crew of animal care and veterinary experts.  This little dolphin came to us from our partners at the Brookfield Zoo just outside of Chicago, Illinois. With his body supported in salt water and protected in a padded and lined, custom-made stretcher, he made his way safely and easily to the Florida Keys.  And there’s a secret that makes him extra special to us – our Dolphin Connection team is very close to his mother and father because they were both born and raised right here in our lagoon, and now live with some of our breeding partners.  So you might say this little boy is our grandbaby, and we couldn’t be prouder!

Prior to his arrival, members of the Dolphin Connection team visited him in Chicago to learn everything they could about him. What’s his favorite toy? How does he like his fish prepared? What behaviors does he know? Then, upon his arrival here in the Florida Keys, members of the Brookfield Zoo team stayed with us to help with his transition. Everyone involved wanted to be sure that this little dolphin was as comfortable as he could possibly be.

Now we all know what brought us to Florida: sunsets, beaches and warm weather, but why did this little guy move fifteen hundred miles to Florida? Because he needed a buddy and we have the perfect friend for him! Because we know that a pair-bond between two male dolphins is one of the closest relationships found in the dolphin social structure, usually lasting a lifetime, we make every effort to pair bond our young males. Providing an appropriate social group for both of these young dolphins is something that we were honored to do!

So, as the temperatures warm up and Spring Break approaches, we hope to see you here. Come to Hawks Cay, enjoy a sunset, bury your toes in the sand, and come and meet the newest member of the Dolphin Connection family!