An extended family of scientists lives and works at a research institute dedicated to the study of the oceans and its creatures. The institute is visited by a rogue dolphin that the now-adult Dr. Keith "Bud" Ricks, of the earlier "Flipper" series, calls Flipper in homage to his childhood dolphin friend. The second season introduces new cast members Deputy Sheriff Tom Hampton, helicopter pilot for the new Monroe County Search & Rescue Sheriff's Substation; Dr. Jennifer Daulton, the new Director of the Bal Harbor Institute; and Deputy Quinn Garnett, the other half of the two-man search-and-rescue operation. Still on the scene from last season is Maya, a sensitive 16-year-old who enjoys a bond with Flipper.