DOLPHIN RODEO

Posted on 11/06/2015 | About Islamorada, Florida

Islamorada in the Florida Keys calls itself “The sports fishing capital of the world.” The village’s latest outdoor artwork by sea life artist David Dunleavy features a large style mural of a bull and cow dolphin leaping to feed on flying fish. These dolphins are gamefish known in Latin America as Dorado and in the Pacific as Mahi Mahi.

The mural by New Jersey based artist Dunleavy measures 252 feet wide and 32 feet high. It is called Dolphin Rodeo and appears on the sides of two metal boat storage barns at Tavernier Creek Marina in Islamorada.

The Bull Dolphin is one of the most colourful game fish in the ocean with iridescent blues, greens and yellows.

Dunleavy worked seven to eight hours per day for 23 days to create the vibrant illustration at the marina, mile marker 90.8 bayside, using more than 400 gallons of paint. The marina's location just off the Florida Keys Overseas Highway ensures the mural’s high visibility for southbound motorists.

It is the 62nd in a series of outdoor sea life murals Dunleavy has painted in the US Bahamas and Australia. It is his fourth mural in the Keys and has become the largest outdoor artwork ever created in the island chain.

"Islamorada is the sportfishing capital of the world and there is no better location for this mural," Dunleavy said Monday. "I want to inspire people to put down their smart phones, go out and experience sea life, whether they go fishing, paddleboarding or scuba diving.

"It's all about teaching people about conservation and protecting our oceans for future generations," he added.