Dolphin Experience - Monkey Mia

People from all over Australia (and possibly the world) have heard of the 'Dolphin Experience' at Monkey Mia where the Dolphins of Shark Bay come close to shore for an interaction with humans and a feed of fish. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Western Australia with over 100,000 visitors each year.

We headed down to the beach at 7:45 am for a briefing by rangers. The dolphin feeding is very regulated and they are fed under strict supervision of the Department of Parks and Wildlife officers. Each dolphin is only allowed a small amount each time they visit to ensure that they continue to hunt naturally and teach their young important survival skills. People are chosen from the crowd to enter the water and feed one fish to a visiting dolphin - you are asked not to touch the dolphins as this may affect their health. I was lucky enough to be chosen, and the dolphin I fed was Nicky who has been visiting the beach her whole life.

There are no set times for the dolphin experiences as it depends on when and if the dolphins visit the beach between 7:45 am – 12 noon. If a dolphin visits more than three times during that period, or arrives after 12 noon, they will not be fed. There may even be days when the dolphins choose not to visit the beach but apparently these are very rare.

RvTrips highly recommend this experience to see these beautiful creaturesup close. Monkey Mia Resort is a lovely place to sit and relax after the dolphin experience with a great restaurant for morning tea or lunch (reasonable prices), and a variety of water sports to try.