midgetjan

Our daughter is coming over for a holiday in a couple of weeks time and really wants to swim with dolphins.

Looked on the internet and found that you can do this at Rockingham for $195 per person per day or Bunbury for $135 pp pd.

Has anyone done this at either of the places and if so, was it worth it?

I so want everything to be as perfect as possible for her holiday, although just having her here will be perfect!


Thanks for any serious replies.

chris1386

cant comment on bunbury but did rockingham in march, superb, friendly staff,great dolphins, educational, weather was well rough at the time, bit exciting jumping in the sea with big waves but hey, they said it was safe and never felt at risk.Really into what they do and 'dolphin boy' (youll meet him if you go) was unreal, he must have gills i swear Thoroughly recommend it to you, well worth the money, saw a HERUUUGE ray as well.Have a great time, im jealous as hell!

daunted

HI - I have done the Rockingham experience twice and would always recommend that. I live in Bunbury (or very close) adn i dont think they offer anywhere near the same experience as Rockingham. You dont have to do the boat trip to see the dolphins at Bunbury and we often laugh when we see the boat with people of watching the dolphins swim when we see just as much from the shore without paying. Bunbury does have a small discovery centre which tells you a bit about dolphins in the bay etc but i dont know how good it is - never been in, my son and his girlfriend had a look in on thier visit and said they thought it was very expensive for what it was offering.
Whilst Rockingham may not have a 'centre' to go in, the guys on the boat really know their stuff and it was a fantastic experience both times

midgetjan

Thanks for the replies - looks like Rockingham wins.

Can't wait. Did you get to touch the dolphins?

squeezzii

the dolphin discovery centre in bunbury does an 'experience' in the mornings whereby if you are there early enough they have wild dolphins come up to shore where they feed them- you can stand in the water (all supervised) and dolphins will swim around you - you cannot touch them-but they are so close you could (but this is forbidden) they have documented loads of the dolphins who visit and have info and photos about them in the centre. They will stress that they dont feed them enough to deter them from hunting for their food by themselves as they dont want them to rely upon them as this would be disastrous for the dolphins. I have been there 3 times (on my way to margaret and dunsborough) the only thing is that you must be there when it opens as dolphins only come to shore 1st thing in morning and last thing at night as a rule. It does sound to me like you should go to rockingham dolphins as this sounds like the interaction you are looking for, but pop into bunbury if you are passing one day as its still a pleasant way to spend a while.

renth

I did it at Rockingham, except I didn't pay, just went to Point Peron, saw some dolphins, put the snorkel on and swam with them - whilst all this was going on the dolphin boat was outside the reef looking for them.

Bernieboy

Dude thats cause you are 'The man from atlantis'

daunted

No - there is a strict no touch policy in place but isnt a problem. Both swims were fab but the second with my daughter was the best with mum and baby less than an arms length away. You can hear all their squeaking noises too - really bizzarre!
Just as we on the subject of dolphins DID you know that apparantly dolphins are the only other living creature that has sex for pleasure? When i come back bagsy its as a dolphin!

Cheetah7

There is a species of chimp that does it for pleasure as well, and several times a day I might add - I saw the documentary and was bloody amazed at the staying power.

renth

Ah yes, the Bonobo.



With the exception of a pair of Congoese gorillas observed doing so[16], Bonobos were thought to be the only non-human apes to have been observed engaging in all of the following sexual activities: face-to-face genital sex (most frequently female-female, then male-female and male-male), tongue kissing, and oral sex.[17] In scientific literature, the female-female sex is often referred to as GG rubbing or genital-genital rubbing.

Sexual activity happens within the immediate family as well as outside it, and often involves adults and children, even infants.[18] Bonobos do not form permanent relationships with individual partners. They also do not seem to discriminate in their sexual behavior by gender or age, with the possible exception of sexual intercourse between mothers and their adult sons; some observers believe these pairings are taboo. When Bonobos come upon a new food source or feeding ground, the increased excitement will usually lead to communal sexual activity, presumably decreasing tension and allowing for peaceful feeding.[19]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo#...ocial_behavior

carolinephillips

Rockingham was fabulous even though I couldn't see much without my contact lenses. My daughter was 11 when I took her, and the sheer exhilaration was awesome. Mind you we got a bit cold, but they do hot chocolate on the boat! We did buy the video of our day so that I could see the dolphins properly. Saw what looked like carpet tiles on the sea floor- they were rays. Next time I go I will have prescription goggles!!!

daunted

Mmmmm or possibly a chimp in that case

sounds like the chimps got life sussed!

Caroline, my daughter wears contact lenses (disposalable ones) and after talking to optician before we went she wore them with a well fitting mask but just removed them as soon as she had finished in the water

lovelyshine

I did the Rockingham one in April. Supposedly it wasn't a great time to go out and see dolphins but our boat guide drove round and round to make sure we spot some. I didnt get to swim with the dolphins but the people in the other boat did and looked like they were having fun.

Would love to try out the Bunbury one where you get to stand in the shallow waters with them.

Our boat guide said we cannot touch them because they have this protective coat on their body that they need. I don't know how less coat might harm them though. Didn't quite understand everything he said. The Aussie accent was too strong for me to catch.

melaniee

How much ?!?!?

foxall22

Hi guys, it's $6 at Bunbury to stand waist-high in the water. We went at 11am and saw a few. That ticket is valid for 6 months too - pretty good value.