The Dolphins of Clacton Pier

Clacton Pier 1977 in full swing with a great line up of attractions

A postcard from 1973 featuring Bubble & Squeak the bottlenose dolphins from Clacton Pier

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.

Reg is now retired and by the sound in his voice when I spoke to him, he misses the dolphins very
much as they where so friendly & a joy to work with.

A full audience enjoying the tricks performed by Bubble & Squeak

Maria the dolphin performing with Reg and Paulette

Close up of Maria at Clacton Pier

A dolphin balancing an umbrella, one of many tricks

Reg Bloom with the Dolphins

Reg Bloom and the leaping dolphin

Bubble, Squeak & Maria with trainer Paulette

Bubble & Squeak at Clacton Pier (1973)

Close up of one of the many dolphins from the pier

Reg shaking hands with one of the dolphins

One of the dolphins wearing novelty glasses

Bubble & Squeak together with sunglasses on for the Clacton sun