At the centre we offer a full programme for groups and individuals as part of our education programme. As we plan to increase courses on offer we have displayed some information on past activities. Should you need more information for your group booking please contact the centre.

We have just had another visit from students of the W@lz school in Vienna. This was the first year we had organised the accommodation for the students and it went very well. We also introduced a surfing lesson into the programme which most of them enjoyed and for the first time all the W@lz students completed the PADI Project Aware course. On the last night students gave a presentation to other students, host familiesand others and then we all had a pasty supper in the Barbican Cafe before they set off back to Austria.

Students from the W@lz school visited the centre in 2008. As from 2009 we will be organising accommodation for the school visits, placing the students with local family's.

One of the w@lz students, Olivia Haas, took lots of pictures during her time at the centre. Her favourite subject was the marine life she saw on her trip to the Blue Reef Aquarium.

This Grey Trigger fish was taken in its tank in the Aquarium but it is a visitor that is being found more and more in our waters. In the past few weeks we have had three Grey trigger fish reported washed up on Cornish beaches. Perhaps this is another sign of our changing climate.

Lobsters are in danger of disapering from our waters. Good work is being carried out by the lobster hatchery in Padstow, who run a breeding programme. they hatch young lobsters and release them back into the sea. 

Many corals are in dying out due to pollution and global warming. Blue Reef Aquarium are running a Coral breeding programme. Young corals can be grown on and then be transplanted back into the original reef.

While the Austrian students have no coast, they all recognised the anemone clown fish from the film Nemo. The anemone clown fish lives in a giant anemone, which like coral can die if the water temperature rises to high.

These four pictures were taken by Olivia Haas, a W@lz student,during her time at the Silver Dolphin centre.  Many thanks Olivia for letting us use them on our website.

The students from the w@ltz Viennese Learning Centre came to Penzance for two weeks. The students were split into two groups, one group attended a weeks activities at the Silver Dolphin Centre while the second group all had individual workplacements in the Penzance area.

The week spent at the Silver Dolphin Centre was divided into classroom theory sessions and visits and activities around the area. At the end of their week each student gave a presentation on their time at the centre.

One of the visits took the students to Falmouth where we visited the Maritime Museum and the Coastguard centre at Pendennis.

Part of the theory training at the centre covered the work we do recording and rescuing cetaceans.As Austria is landlocked this was the first time  some of the students had seen the sea. 

The students on workplacements attended a wide variety of local business, schools and other establishments in the Penzance area to give the a taste of life in Cornwall and the chance to use their language skills.

Part of their trip to Falmouth included a boat trip with Orca Sea-faris. While some of the students saw one seal we didn't get to sea any dolphins.

As part of their stay with us part of the group did a PADI Discover Scuba session at Carn Brea pool. Many said this was the highlight of their trip. Several rally took to the water and said they would like to come back and do the full PADI open water diver course.

After they had returned to Austria we held a competion for the students to write a report on their stay at the The Silver Dolphin Centre.

Report by Mariella Drechsler

I enjoyed working with the silver dolphin centre very much. I think everything was very interesting. We learned a lot about the sea, dolphins, whales and many other topics. We got a lot of knowledge from films, pictures, excursions and Dave and Jude. It was great we made trips to the boat museum and the boat trip in Falmouth, the Aquarium in Newquay or we also went to a dive pool,... Very interesting was also as we learned how to rescue a stranded dolphin. I think it was better than sitting the whole day in a room to learn. What we made was learning by doing and for me its the best method to learn something. Thats why I had chosen my school called w@lz. I also liked the end presentation because it was very helpful and it gave me a good review and glance back at the week. I think we all went back to Austria with lots of very good and helpful experiences. Mariella Drechsler

Report by Mariella Kohlhuber

Dolphin Centre

It was a one week project on marine biology. we were diving in a swimming pool. Or we went on a boat trip in Falmouth, there we saw seals. They were really cute. In Falmouth we were in a boat museum too. It was a little bit boring because I'm not interested in ships. In Newquay we visited an aquarium,there were little sharks and other special fish. we also learned how to help a dolphin in difficult situations ( for example; Dolphin at the beach) and at the end of the project we did a presentation. Everybody of my group presented a topic to us all. All in all I enjoyed the project, because I didn't know anything about fishes or dolphins. Mariella Kohlhuber

Report by Julia Raith

The Dolphin Centre

On the first day we learned about dolphins, whales,fishes, reefs, boat and fishing. In the afternoon we walked around the harbour. On the next day we visited a museum on boats. After we went on a boat trip. With the small boat we jumped on the waves. Near the cliffs we stopped. After a while we could see seals diving in front of their caves. When we went along the beaches we saw many different birds. But we did not see any Orcas. I really liked the aquarium, called Blue Reef in Newquay. We could touch a very big crab, which had a sort of fur and pink arms.There was one aquarium with sharks and a very big blue fish in it. We could watch them from above and also get under it so we saw the fishes swimming over us. A man showed us what happens when he feeds little octopuses: They put a dark blue cloud in the water so the others are not able to see him. One really big octopus was very poor as he was alone in his aquarium and he looked very old.. We learned to dive in a small swimming pool. It was an interesting experience to dive with bottles. After this day we had a presentation for our whole class. We told them what we had learned on the first day. On our last day we learned what to do when we find a dolphin on a beach. I am happy about having learned that, but in Austria I am sure that I will never find a dolphin. Maybe on my next holidays at the sea, but I do not hope so. Julia Raith.

Report by Hannah Garbsh

the programme was very manifold and interesting. We went to many museums like blue reef ( a sea animals museum) or the boat museum. We made a boat trip and tried to see dolphins and other animals. But there were to many waves so we only saw two seals and many birds. The last day we went diving in a pool . It was the best thing of the whole week. I learned a lot about sea biology and I enjoyed it very much. Dave did a wonderful job. The whole Dolphin Centre Team was very polite. Hannah Garbsh.

Report by Louis Markovics

The week was very nice. I enjoyed it. The dolphin team was very kind. Now I know a lot about dolphins and sea animals. The stuff was presented well so I know a bit more for the biology exam we were in a fish and boat museum. It was great because in the fish museum there were so many species of fish. What impressed me most at the boat museum was the big piece of the catamaran. Another funny thing was the boat trip at the sea although we didn't see any mammals Like whales or Dolphins(but the two seals, they were very sweet) It was really beautiful because the waves were very big. And my greatest experience of the week was the diving day!!! It was easier than I thought. And I think the presentation was important although the others grumbled! I have learned a lot. Thanks You. Louis Markovics. 

Report by Simone Peschek

we stayed in Penzance for two weeks and i think I learned a lot during that time. The first week we all worked at different work placements and the second week we had a marine project at the dolphin Centre. there we talked about sharks, dolphins, whales, seals, and porpoise: how they look like, how they live, how to rescue them if they are stranded, how they behave when they are in captivity, how to protect them and lots of interesting facts. I definitely know a lot more about the sea and the animals in it than I knew before this project.

Lots of dolphins and whales die, because they are hurt so badley when caught in fishing net, that they strand on the beach. We learned how to rescue a dolphin.

We also made a few trips to the aquarium in Newquay, which was really fascination, to a boat museum and we made a boat trip in Falmouth. there we hoped to see dolphins, but the weather was very bad we didn't even see seals.

At the end we made a presentation about different topice which we showed to the other half of our class( they had the project the week before) on the last evening.

I really enjoyed our project in Penzance and especially the Dolphin Centre. Simone Peschek.

A report by Katharina Hoeftberger

In November 2005 my schoolmates and I, from Austria had a project with Jude and Dave from the silver Dolphin Centre in Penzance. They had prepared a very interesting and manifold programme for this one week. We learned a lot about the marine fauna, especially about dolphins, whales,sharks and seals. Jude and Dave told us how to rescue a dolphin if its stranded, what unfortunately happens quite often. we watched films about dolphin and shark hunting and heard about lots of dolphins being killed as bycatch.

But we also made some trips outside Penzance. We went to the marine museum in Falmouth and to the aquarium in Newquay. On a boat trip we hoped to see seals or dolphins, unfortunately we could just watch some birds flying around near the coast. One afternoon we could visit the coast Guard and learned about their job and the technical instruments they use to keep the sea safe for humans. So I learned a lot of interesting things and gained experience! Katharina Hoeftberger  

We have designed a new marine wildlife course for schools and colleges. This course contains elements of all the work we carry out. The course can be designed around your college needs, an example programme would be;

Day 1 Whale and Dolphin education. this includes a session on the rescue of a stranded dolphin.

Day 2 Marine Photography

Day 3 Life by the coast this includes a visit to the Maritime museum, and a boat trip. 

Day 4 Marine Life, A look at the marine life around the Cornish coast, including a trip to Blue reef Aquarium.  

Day 5 Discover Scuba Session, try scuba diving in a heated pool or in clear Cornish waters and see the local marine life first hand.

Please contact the Centre for details of cost, or to discus design of your own course.