UPDATE: Our Campaign was successful and all of Gulf World’s dolphins were relocated by authorities!
All dolphins were removed and Gulf World is closed! This is a huge win for us but our work is far from over. We are extremely disappointed that some of the dolphins and other animals were moved to other deplorable roadside attractions owned by The Dolphin Company. We won’t stop until all of the animals are moved out of Gulf World to safe and clean locations.
Gulf World
Gulf World is a roadside attraction in Panama Beach, Florida. As of May 28, 2025 the park is closed. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and federal authorities have removed all of the dolphins amid the ongoing criminal investigation into the park and its owner, The Dolphin Company.
In October 2024 dolphins Gus, Turk and Nate died in a week, likely due to inadequate precautions during construction of a nearby Top Golf location. A month later, the filtration system for the dolphins broke. On March 1, 2025 a fourth dolphin, Jett, died during a show when he was performing a jump and landed in the shallow part of the tank, fracturing his skull.
In March 2025, TideBreakers visited the park—and what we were shocked by the conditions were even worse in person. Inside the facility, we gathered extensive evidence, which became the foundation of our campaign just days later. The footage of dolphins swimming in filthy, green, algae-choked water went viral, and within weeks, Gulf World was raided by local, state and federal authorities.
Confiscation efforts were hampered when the owners of Gulf World, The Dolphin Company, filed for bankruptcy on March 31, 2025 in the United States (The Dolphin Company filed for bankruptcy protection in Mexico the month prior). The bankruptcy filing temporarily stopped everything from debt collections to confiscations.
The dolphins and other marine mammals are considered assets–or collateral–of The Dolphin Company. If animals are confiscated and relocated to other facilities, debtors can no longer use them to pay off debts. Instead of ending the horror show for the animals at Gulf World, the bankruptcy only prolonged their suffering.
Gulf World Marine Park is one of four parks owned by The Dolphin Company in Florida. The Dolphin Company is also under criminal investigation in Florida. The Dolphin Company operates three other parks in Florida: Marineland (built in 1938), the Miami Seaquarium (built in 1955) and Dolphin Connection (built in 1990). In addition to conditions that are not safe for animals, the Seaquarium and Gulf World reportedly have condemned buildings that are not safe for the public.
The final straw for Gulf World was on May 27, 2025, when Samira, a young female rescue dolphin died, marking 5 dolphin deaths in less than 8 months. The next day the park closed. In early June 2025, the dolphins were removed, but sadly relocated to other deplorable roadside attractions owned by The Dolphin Company.
As a result of the bankruptcy, all of the 2,400 animals owned by The Dolphin Company are subject to sale as the business can’t afford to pay for the care of the animals.
According to Bloomberg, “Bankruptcy has revealed the dual role that animals play at theme parks. For TDC, the marine mammals aren’t just its prized attractions, but also collateral for more than $100 million in debt. The most valuable are dolphins and sea lions, according to court records. The company said in Wednesday’s filing that as of 2023 it had 295 dolphins, 51 sea lions and 18 each of manatees and seals.”
Stay tuned for the lastest!
Timeline
Timeline of Gulf World’s animal abuse
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2015 – Gulf World purchased by The Dolphin Company
and things start turning south
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September 2018: Angel, a bottlenose dolphin, dies of mucormycosis
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January 2023: PCB condemns the sea lion stadium and gift shop
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May 2024: Sheldon, a harbour seal dies
GW/TDC doesn’t report a COD to NOAA until December after numerous complaints to various agencies
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October 4, 2024: GUS, 14 year old bottlenose dolphin dies
reported to NOAA as euthanasia for life threatening condition
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October 7, 2024: Turk, 15 year old bottlenose dolphin dies
reported to NOAA as bacterial lung disease
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October 11, 2024: Nate, 20 year old bottlenose dolphin dies
reported to NOAA as systemic infection
*the 3 were housed together in the tank on the west side, closest to the construction of the Top Golf which had recently broken ground in September
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March 1, 2025: Jett, a 14 year old bottlenose dolphin fractures his skull
when during a show he’s sent on a jump and lands in the shallow portion of the tank. Official cause of death: Head trauma
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March 16, 2025: TideBreakers enter the facility to gather evidence
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March 18, 2025: TideBreakers publish the first video exposing the horrific conditions.
The campaign starts going viral. We start working with the authorities.
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March 24, 2025: PCB Police announce investigation of Gulf World
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March 27, 2025: FDLE and FWC executed a search warrant
at direction of Attorney General James Uthmeier. USDA also present
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March 31, 2025: TDC files for Chapter 11 bancruptcy in USA
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May 27, 2025: Samira, 9 year old bottlenose dolphin dies!
Preliminary findings indicate she had stopped eating for weeks and had ingested a large volume of foreign material. Samira’s death marked 5 dolphin deaths in less than 8 months at Gulf World, and was the final straw that led to the park’s closure.
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May 28, 2025: GULF WORLD CLOSES!!!
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May 30, 2025: The Florida Attorney General’s office launches a criminal investigation into The Dolphin Company.
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June 4, 2025: 4 rough tooth dolphins are removed from Gulf World
and transported to Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
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June 10, 2025: The seven remaining bottlenose dolphins are moved
4 to MarineLand, 3 to Dolphin Connection
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July 6, 2025: Sharks and rays from Gulf World moved to Marineland
