The Theme Continues... It's Dolphins Part 2

So today we had a planned activity. We had booked for the 10.30am Sea Safari, rub by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. We drove - we could have walked but I had agreed to pay a visit to Super Target.

The weather was looking very changeable and it didn't come as a huge surprise when it was announced that the 10.30am cruise had been cancelled. We managed to swap for the 12.30 one, so just swapped the order - Aquarium followed by cruise.

It's fair to say there isn't much at the Aquarium, which is in a way a good thing. The motto of the CMA is Rescue, Rehab and Release. The only guests that get to stay are the ones deemed unreleasable.

The CMA is home to 3 dolphins, the two more famous ones being Winter and Hope. If you haven't heard of them, give it a quick Google - other search engines are available.

We saw a talk on both dolphins and went off to explore. It was great to see dolphins again but it felt different. I know there's a reason they are here but... It was far better to see them yesterday in the wild.

They also have stingrays which you can touch and both Miss B & Miss H did just that.

We then went to queue up for the safari. By this time the thunder clouds had passed and it was starting to really warm up.

We boarded our boat and headed off for a 90 minute cruise. We had a chat on the marine wildlife and the trip had two main highlights. Firstly they drop a net overboard and then drag it along the bottom of the Gulf floor for 3 minutes before landing the net and recording the catch. They release any duplicates and then bring round what has been caught on the return trip to the Marina.

The second highlight is that you are taken to an island made entirely of shells. You disembark and gave 15 minutes to wander around.

You wouldn't get lost on the island, there was only a single tree... But it was a real experience and I'm glad we did it.

So it was off to Super Target, but before we got there we had two more stops to make. First was Dollar Tree - think Poundland but a dollar plus sales tax :)

After bargain hunting we grabbed a late lunch, and it was another Martin first... Five Guys - which is a burger joint.

A really great burger and set us up for our Super Target visit.

After shopping it was a short trip home and a quick pit stop to get changed for a swim. We got to the beach at 5.15pm and it was still glorious. We stayed in the water until about 7pm and headed back to the apartment, but not before stopping where? If you've been paying attention you know we stopped for an ice cream.

After showering and a change of clothes we headed off into the night to find something to eat. Tonight's choice was an Italian, The Gondolier. A good pizza but I personally preferred the Extreme Pizza we had earlier in the week.

It's now just before 10pm and we have returned home for the night.