CLACTON DOLPHINS

The Dolphin Shows arrived at Clacton Pier on the 1st August 1971, The first dolphin was Maria who came from Malta as the two dolphins Bubble and Squeak were delayed in America. Maria gave five public performances a day each lasting 45 minutes, and entertained and educated crowds
from far & near. When Bubble and Squeak arrived the three of them hit it off straight away, training sessions were performed by Reg and his assistant Paulette, teaching them tricks and keeping them  active inbetween shows, Reg also admitted being educated by them also. 

I have been fortunate enough to speak to Reg about his time with the dolphins, his passion for dolphins is unprecedented & the care of Bubble & Squeak was a precise operation for Reg. The dolphins where a part of Reg's family not just a show, Squeak was a little terror & on training would play up and not do as she was told some of the time, she always wanted to do things her own way trying different ways of doing things, she loved playing football in the pool. In May 1975 Reg Bloom anounced that Squeak was pregnant, this was shortly after she was moved back to the Clacton dolphinarium after the storm that damaged the pool. 

Bubbles died after swallowing a childs toy windmill in August 1978 & Squeak morned the loss of her companion for a while but still carried on entertaining the crowds, it was her strong character & the care of her owners that got her through this sad time.

Squeak moved to a dolphin park in Spain from Clacton and once again was in the care of Reg for many years afterwards. Reg did alot of good work in the conservation of dolphins & whales throughout his life and was well respected in the industry & with the people he entertained.

Squeak passed away in Spain in 2006 at the age of 39, she had 4 babies in her life time, her babies are still alive today. It is a fact that dolphins live a lot longer captive than in the wild, this is due to no threats by fishing nets, pollution or shark attacks. 

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CLACTON DOLPHIN VIDEOS

Rare footage of a live show with the two Clacton dolphins on the Pier

A very rare piece of footage of the dolphins & trainer Reg Bloom

By 1986, only five dolphinariums had managed to survive in the UK. Those establishments were Brighton Aquarium and Dolphinarium, Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire, Knowsley Safari Park on Merseyside near Liverpool, Morcambe Marineland in Lancashire, Whipsnade Park, and Windsor Safari Park Ltd. The last captive dolphins in the UK went in 1993

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