About

Jacob Tindall is from the Cartersville, Georgia area. Two things have stayed with him: marine mammal conservation — especially dolphins and manatees — and music at the piano.

The ocean story starts at summer marine science camp at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. That is where a friendship with Nicholas, a rescue dolphin, took hold. Jacob would draw at the habitat glass; Nicholas would stay upside down beside him. Tampa Bay 28 shared that story. Aquarium staff later pointed to it as an example of how meeting animals in care can inspire future biologists, trainers, veterinarians, and advocates. Nicholas’s page is on Dolphins.

The same aquarium is where the field path opened. In June 2024, when he was 11, he went to CMA’s Echoes of the Ocean speaker night and met manatee conservationists Jamal Galves, Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, and Tanya Ward. Jamal had also been 11 when he first met Dr. Powell. Hearing that from the people who lived it made the work feel close enough to reach. Jamal invited Jacob to join Belize manatee assessments. That night is on Meeting conservation heroes.

He went. In 2025 and 2026 he joined CMA Research Institute health assessments in Belize — named animals such as Jake, Todd, and Celeshia, plus blood and urine sampling, tissue sampling, and tags. On the boat he learned that a minute without a breath is too long: the team stimulates respiration when an animal pauses. Jacob built a phone app that logs each breath and sounds an alert if a minute passes without one, then field-tested it in Placencia. The expeditions are Belize 2025 and Belize 2026. The app is The manatee breath tracker. After the first season he spoke to the Rotary Club of Etowah as an aspiring marine biologist.

In July 2026 he came back to CMA on the other side of the glass: two weeks as a volunteer in Guest Engagement and on the Dive Team, including scuba work inside habitats. He also toured Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, the marine-science school he hopes to attend. That chapter is Volunteering at CMA.

Piano is the other constant. His first recital was at ACT I in Cartersville. Later recordings — pieces such as Natures Wedding and Battle Cry in C Minor — are described on the music page.

In spare time he also likes games like Fortnite and Minecraft. Photos from the field and the aquarium live in the gallery. This site does not list usernames, friend lists, or Discord.