Membership compliance requirements

  1. Business owners will send all their dolphin tour captains and guides to the training course or will refer them to the website to take the online version of the training course. They will also send them to all the continuing education update events offered throughout the year. All captains and guides need to go to the training course session or sit through the online version of the course and successfully pass the multiple-choice quiz.
  2. Business owners will exclusively hire captains/guides holding a current B.T.F. proof of course completion or have the captains/guides they hire take the online training course and successfully pass the 3 quizzes within 15 days of their starting date.
  3. All captains/guides will comply with the B.T.F. (B.A.D.T.O.F.E.E.D.) Guidelines “Do’s and Don’ts”. The BTF Board of Directors reserves the right to temporarily revoke the rights and benefits of a business should a violation be reported with compelling supporting evidence.
  4. Compliant business owners must fill out the registration form and submit all the information concerning their captains and guides with description of their watercrafts in order to obtain their watercraft stickers.
  5. The captains/guides, who have completed the training and successfully passed the 3 quizzes will be assigned a number and given a sticker to attach to their captain’s license. The businesses’ boats will receive the sticker (Jet skis do not get stickers) when at least one of the company’s captains has either attended the April 10 training or completed the online course. Only then will your business be featured on the TDC website. Every other captain without sticker or new captain hired will have 15 days to attend the online training course and successfully complete the online quizzes.
  6. Business owners will pay a financial participation to the program. The fee will be waived for the first year (2013) to promote participation. Grant money, donations and volunteering will be used to cover the first year’s expenses.

Board of Directors

Unremunerated directors will be elected by vote by the members yearly. Board members do not necessarily need to be tour operators. The Board will take all the decisions concerning the management and the implementation of the program. The Board will decide on the allocation of and changes of the membership fees, on the distribution of the grants and donations (operating expenses). The Board will actively network with the community to provide timely affordable quality educational events and materials for the training course sessions.

Benefits

Complying members will be featured and recognized on the TDC website as businesses who care for the Emerald Coast Marine resources and who are committed to working with local marine mammal scientists and with the local Law Enforcement (FWC) on improving the quality and the image of the wild dolphin experience in Bay County.  Complying members will be seen as leaders of their industry.

Another benefit is that all the members captains and guides will have access to a valuable training, which will allow them to conduct safer and more interesting tours.

By definition, a BTF member is an individual or a business with interest in the improvement of the Dolphin Tour Industry, who is in good standing with the BadToFeed Membership Requirements.

Following is a list of the current BadToFeed members. Click to visit their web sites

Following is a list of the current BTF Board members

  • Davison Ted with Blue Dolphin Tours
  • Fluhr Jason with Sunshine Watersports
  • Richard Denis with Water Planet
  • Taylor Dane with Dolphin Tours and More