Wildlife Extravaganza in Western Australia ( 5/14 )

DAY 5 ~ Thursday

SAW THE DOLPHINS FOUR TIMES!!!!!

We’d been told to expect the dolphins any time between 8am and 1.00pm. We got our first meeting at 8.30. It was a bit manic with so many people. The ranger made us all stand in a line along the shore, about calf deep in the water, to watch as the dolphins swam close by us.

After about 20 minutes, people were chosen at random, to feed the dolphins a fish. We were able to have a pretty good view as some of the dolphins swam very close, lying in the shallows, generally following the ranger. The younger ones were having fun, playing and frolicking further out. They made their clicking noises and exhaled loudly from their blowholes.

We had two other encounters with them and were both lucky enough to get picked to feed a dolphin each. It was a very moving experience and it made us feel very honoured, to be so close to such

amazing creatures – even if it is very touristy.

At 1pm we went on a Dugong (like manatees) cruise, on a swish catamaran sailing boat. The sea was beautifully calm, so no worries about sea sickness from me. We saw a lone male dugong fairly soon on the trip.

They are big mammals, unlike manatees who have almost spade shaped tail, these were more fish-shaped. They actually should’ve been further out to sea at this time of year, as they like and need the temperature to be

at least 18°C. for digestion to occur. We also saw a female and her calf, as well as a sea-snake and a turtle.

As an extra bonus, we were lucky enough to get a free sunset cruise with this trip, which we took. It was great because we saw some more dolphins (not more dolphins!) but in their own environment, as it were. There

were about four or five of them ‘snagging’- a sort of meditation, resting half their brain (they can’t sleep as their breathing is voluntary. It’s called snagging, because some researcher thought they looked liked rows of sausages). They were arcing in and out of the water, slowly and sedately. They came so close to the boat and the water was so clear, it really was a beautiful sight and I’m not one of these people who is crazy about dolphins. Then, of course, we had another gorgeous sunset – what a tranquil end to the day!

But it was not to end there. Afterwards we went to a talk by a Canadian researcher, who is studying the relationship between the dolphins and the Tiger Sharks in the bay – it was incredibly interesting. To cap the

evening off we had dinner ‘out’ at the Bough Tree Restaurant there. The food was good though pricey. The best bit for me, was the delicious glass of Chardonnay, as we sat and reflected on our marvellous day.