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Nina the Dolphin Makes Waves at Grand Bahama’s Sanctuary Bay

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Meet Nina, one of eight dolphins at Sanctuary Bay in Grand Bahama.

Published

4 months ago

August 2, 2025

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Meet Nina, one of eight dolphins at Sanctuary Bay in Grand Bahama.

The Bay sits on nine acres of lagoon and offers guests personal interactions with native wildlife, including birds, tortoises, and dolphins.

During our visit, I participated in the dolphin encounter.

Nina, along with her trainer and head marine mammal specialist Raguel Nesbitt, delivered an hour of tricks, flips, kisses, and comedy.

But what stood out was the educational element of the experience, as Sanctuary Bay’s mission is to foster meaningful connections between humans and dolphins, inspiring a deeper understanding of marine life and the need to protect our ocean ecosystems.

This goal, Nesbitt says, was established over three decades ago.

Raguel Nesbitt – Head mammal specialist, Sanctuary Bay
“This facility actually started in 1987. It started with five dolphins from the Gulf of Mexico, and those dolphins came in for research purposes just for this facility to see how dolphins will be in human care and also go to the open ocean.”

Nesbitt says Sanctuary Bay is a blueprint for modern eco-tourism, an open-air classroom where guests learn not only marine biology but history and heritage through the dolphins’ names.

Raguel Nesbitt – Head mammal specialist, Sanctuary Bay
“Her name is Nina because her mum’s name is Rabala. She’s named after Robalo, a boat, and so Nina was one of the boats that Christopher Columbus…she’s named after that. Her brother’s name is Goombay, after the Goombay Festival, we have Exuma, her daughter’s name is Sandy… so things like that.”