Karadag Dolphinarium in Kurortnoe

The Karadag Dolphinarium is located in the Biostation of the village of Kurortnoye. It is the oldest dolphinarium established in the former Soviet Union. Every day there are show programs that tourists come to see from all the surrounding resorts, from Feodosia to Sudak. 

Dolphins have been studied in Crimea since the 1960s. Dolphins were placed in swimming pools and at first their behavior was studied by specialists of the Ministry of Defense. The specialists of this department had ideas about the possibility of using dolphins with combat missions at sea.  

Some scientists had ideas that dolphins could not only be trained, but also communicate with them, since they were considered the most intelligent mammals. Attempts have been made to study the signals that dolphins exchange when communicating with each other. Acoustic signals with which dolphins "probe" the surrounding sea were also studied. Later, employees of other ministries joined this work.  

The complex of the Karagadag Dolphinarium with a spacious swimming pool and bleachers, which we see today, was opened in 1977. However, then it continued to operate as a scientific station. There were no performances for the public here. Fortunately for the dolphins, it was not possible to complete the program of their use in combat.  

For the first time, dolphin shows at the Karadag Dolphinarium began to be held after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when no money was allocated for the maintenance of dolphins and scientific specialists. The staff of the Karadag Dolphinarium developed a show program with dolphins, which immediately became widely known and popular. Later, seals appeared in the Karadag Dolphinarium. 

The second oldest dolphinarium on the Black Sea was opened in 1984 at Cape Big Utrish near Anapa. There the stands of the Dolphinarium are located directly in the sea bay. When visiting the Karadag Dolphinarium, plan time to visit the Karadag Museum of Nature and History, as well as for a walk through the botanical garden of the Karadag Biostation. For more than a hundred years, the staff of the biostation has been studying here the nature of the Karadag Nature Reserve, as well as scientific work.