TurtleTrek and Manatee Rehabilitatio
A circuitous entrance ramp brings you to a popular air-conditioned underwater viewing area for 1,500 Caribbean fish and sea turtles the size of coffee tables—that’s what earns our two-star rating. If you look closely, you can tell which turtles are rescues—one lost her lower jaw from a fishing net, another gave a flipper to a shark near Bermuda. In the Manatee Rehabilitation freshwater tank, much attention is paid to the manatee’s status as one of America’s most endangered animals, and, in fact, the sluggish creatures on display here were all rescued from the wild, where hot-dogging boaters are decimating their numbers. You’ll be herded into a domed room where a (rather poorly) computer-animated 3D film traces the life cycle of a sea turtle from its point of view. It’s hard not to notice that the 7-minute story hits the same story beats as Finding Nemo (jellyfish fields, marauding birds, sharks prowling a shipwreck). After that, you might be better off staying longer in front of the tank, where the view is more authentic. Tip: If you skip this, at least see the sea turtles and rescued manatees in their rehab center, located through the attraction’s exit (so you don’t have to ride).
A circuitous entrance ramp brings you to a popular air-conditioned underwater viewing area for 1,500 Caribbean fish and sea turtles the size of coffee tables—that’s what earns our two-star rating. If you look closely, you can tell which turtles are rescues—one lost her lower jaw from a fishing net, another gave a flipper to a shark near Bermuda. In the Manatee Rehabilitation freshwater tank, much attention is paid to the manatee’s status as one of America’s most endangered animals, and, in fact, the sluggish creatures on display here were all rescued from the wild, where hot-dogging boaters are decimating their numbers. You’ll be herded into a domed room where a (rather poorly) computer-animated 3D film traces the life cycle of a sea turtle from its point of view. It’s hard not to notice that the 7-minute story hits the same story beats as Finding Nemo (jellyfish fields, marauding birds, sharks prowling a shipwreck). After that, you might be better off staying longer in front of the tank, where the view is more authentic. Tip: If you skip this, at least see the sea turtles and rescued manatees in their rehab center, located through the attraction’s exit (so you don’t have to ride).
Details
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
