Monkey Mia. Where wild dolphins
come in to shore to see people!

"Come and swim with the dolphins" the literature says.

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What is Monkey Mia, and where is it?

Monkey Mia is located at practically the most western point in Australia. It is located near a town called Denham on a beautiful body of water called Shark Bay, which is on the Indian Ocean. It is about 700-800km north of Perth. It used to be a small settlement and pearl-gathering site, but the nearby town and resort have grown. There are many forms of plant and animal life that are unique in the world. For this reason it has been declared a World Heritage Site. As you approach the area a huge electric fence runs for miles to keep feral wildlife out of this area. A sign is up saying "Help protect Eden."

Lonely Planet Guide to Australia	Dolphin Chronicles : A Fascinating, Moving Tale of One Woman's Quest to Understand-And Communicate With-The Sea's Most Mysterious Creatures by Carol J. Howard	Fodor's '99 Australia (Fodor's Gold Guides)by Fodors (Editor), Fodor	Swimming With Dolphins : A Healing Experience by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma	Dolphins and Their Power to Heal by Amanda Cochrane, Karena Callen	The Dolphin Within : Awakening Human Potential by Olivia De Bergerac, Olivia De Bergerac

What it was really like

The place wasn't too crowded. The Monkey Mia dolphin resort was beautiful. We rented a room right on the beach... It was either right on the beach, or just off the beach. It was a small cabin with palm trees around it, and air conditioned inside. Good thing since temperatures were in the mid to high 30's when we were there. The food was great at the restaurant, but a little pricy.

Ya, but what about the dolphins

The dolphins were amazing. At about 7 AM Rhonda and I headed down to the beach to check out what was happening. We were up very early, just as the sun rose over the Indian Ocean. We sat ourselves down at the waterfront for about an hour. Over the hour the crowd grew more and more. Finally around 10 minutes to eight the dolphins arrived. 4 dolphins. Two females and their babies. A wildlife ranger was there to make sure that we came out in the water no further than our knees. The dolphins moved about and it was very interesting. The water was a bright green near the jetty and the water was very warm.

The huge pelicans, cormorants, and seagulls walked around the people on shore. At 8 o'clock someone came down from the wildlife booth with two silver buckets. The ranger and another woman handed out the fish to people... Only those who were standing on shore... Everyone had to get out of the water while the dolphins ate. I was able to feed the dolphin that morning. I took the fish and placed it near the surface of the water. The dolphin swallowed it head first. I touched its grey skin and it felt very rubbery. Later on that day Rhonda talked to the ranger and at the 10 AM feeding Rhonda was able to stand out in the water, holding the bucket, and passing the fish to the people. One of the people she chose to feed was me... Coincidence? Perhaps. The dolphin was impatient, and kept poking her beak into Rhonda's leg.
The next morning I held the bucket of food and stood out in the water and pashed the fish out. The dolphin was laying on its side in the water with her big eye looking up at me. She would tap me 3 times in a row with her pectoral fin on my leg to suggest "Hurry up mate!" At the end of the feeding when the bucket was empty you were supposed to rinse it out in front of the dolphin to show that it was empty. When the dolphin saw there was no more fish it was back to sea for her!

Sounds neat, what did you think?

I thought it was great. I can honestly say that I was waiting a lifetime for an opportunity like that (although actually swimming with the dolphins would have been great). The resort was very relaxing, warm, beautiful, scenic. Wildlife was plentiful in the area and it was a great time overall.
However, advertising, as always, was misleading. There was absolutely no "swim" with dolphins, although I think that this wording may have been mainly on the part of travel brochures and travel agents, rather than the resort itself. And as far as "close encounter" goes, only the aggressive Canadians like Rhonda and I got to hold the bucket while standing in the water (3 feedings a day). There are about 5 fish per dolphin per feeding. There are tour buses which arrive and there may be as many as 100 people on the beach. Not everyone stands in the water. Many are content to watch from shore or from the dock.

So what conclusions did you draw?

The first nite we arrived we went to slide show and presentation from the local naturalist (an absolute must see if you go there - very informative about tons of stuff, not just dolphin based). Surprisingly only about 6 people showed up for this presentation. Anyhow, a few things they try to tell people that I disagree with.
1) We don't want dolphins to become dependent on our food, so we only feed them 1/5 of their daily requirement.
They have to hunt the rest. OK fine, good intentions, but if I good work 5 hours a day for my pay, and then walk over to some guy who would pay me the other 2 hours a day for just walking up to him, why wouldn't I? Monkey Mia is a reliable food source, there everyday!
2) The dolphins come in because they want to be with people.
I doubt it. I would love to think that this was the reason they came in, and this is what I thought before I went there. The dolphins come in because it is a habit and they get fed. They show up just before feeding time and then leave right away when the food is done.
3) We don't want the dolphins to be dependent, so we feed them at random intervals.
Random intervals? 8 AM, 10AM, 1 PM. Everyday. Not very random, 2 hours difference, then 3. But it is that way everyday! The dolphins show up shortly before each feeding time because they know it is feeding time!
4) We don't feed males because they are too agressive, and we don't feed babies because they have to learn how to hunt for themselves.
So guess who shows up for the feedings... Adult females. Males don't come in because they don't get fed. The babies come in with their mothers, but typically don't come that close to shore.
Bottom line. The dolphins do this out of habit and because they are rewarded with food.

However, I had a great time nonetheless, and would reccommend this place to anyone who loves nature and dolphins. I did not want to miss this place during my stay in Australia and I am glad to have seen it.