Our team of dolphin trainers have years of experience and are dedicated to their profession. For many it would be considered a dream job, but our trainers say that although they wouldn’t trade their work for anything in the world, it is certainly not easy. Working with and caring for the dolphins requires full commitment, passion, and unconditional love.
Ivan Panaid
I was born and raised in Odessa. I have always been fond of sports, swimming, and outdoor activities. Living in a city close to the sea, it is not uncommon to see a flock of dolphins swimming past the coast. I have always been attracted to these animals for their beauty, speed, agility, and playfulness. Knowing that there is a dolphinarium in Odessa, I went on an internship. Thanks to my enthusiasm, hard work, respect, and love for dolphins, as well as good physical fitness, I got a position in the dolphinarium. The happiest moments of my life are associated with this work. I have the opportunity to be close to wonderful animals and improve my communication skills with them daily.
Anastasiia Kunchych
I was born and raised in Kyiv. Since childhood, I loved to bring into the house animals found on the street - kittens, puppies, and chicks. My parents thought that I would become a veterinarian. Fate decreed otherwise, and at the age of 19, I went to Odessa to visit relatives who worked in a dolphinarium at that time. Since then my life has changed forever. I realized that apart from working with marine mammals, nothing else fascinates or pleases me. After moving to Odessa, my fate is inextricably linked with dolphins and fur seals. I graduated from the Faculty of Hydrobiology of the Biological University in order to fully understand the physiology and needs of my beloved animals. During my work in the dolphinarium, I visited many countries and met interesting people who shared with me their experience and knowledge in the field of keeping, psychology, and veterinary medicine of marine mammals.
Yevhenii Chabanovskyi
I was born and raised near Odessa. As a child, I loved dogs very much, but I never thought that I would later connect my life with animals, especially with smart, significant and graceful dolphins.
I have always been interested in sports and active recreation. So working at a dolphinarium allows me to combine activity, sports, and an immense love for animals. Already in my teens, I first went to a dolphin show, where I was simply amazed at how, at first glance, light people communicated with these beautiful water giants. And I was lucky enough to meet marine mammal trainers, who invited me for an internship. And after I tried myself in this profession, I immediately decided that this was mine.
At the dolphinarium, I not only acquired a profession of my soul, but also met the guys who became my true friends.
Sergii Lobko
I am from Ukraine, Zaporozhye city. And my path to working as a marine mammal trainer was quite unusual. After army, when I had just turned 19 years old, I was invited to work on the construction of a new dolphinarium in the Dnieper city. Already during construction, I was offered to stay and continue working at the dolphinarium as a sound engineer. A few years later, I received an offer to try myself as a dolphin trainer, underwent the appropriate training - and here I am.
I was always looking for something new, interesting, unusual. And I found all this in the dolphinarium. It’s always new, challenging and always interesting here. And I like that dolphins are all different and each one needs its own approach.