The highlight of any stay is the opportunity to interact closely with nature. Each evening the Tangalooma Dolphins eagerly swim up to the beach, adjacent to the well-lit jetty, where they are hand fed fresh fish by our Marine biologists, their staff and Resort guests. Whether you are feeding the Dolphins or simply watching from the jetty stadium, the experience is unforgettable.
What is the Tangalooma Dolphin Care Program?
The dolphins that visit Tangalooma are totally wild. They choose to come into the shallows to interact with us and take a few fish from our hands.
The Tangalooma Dolphin Care Program has been developed to ensure that people feeding the dolphins do not harm them in any way.
Procedures which the Program has adopted are designed to minimise disturbance to the dolphins' natural behaviour patterns.
Keeping the dolphins wild
We want to discourage the dolphins from depending on us, or becoming too tame. Therefore, the amount of fish given to the dolphins varies between 10% and 20% of their daily food requirement.
Because we only feed them this limited amount the dolphins still need to hunt for themselves. In addition, we limit our contact with them so that they remain wild and wary of humans. This reduces the possibility of somebody harming them.
Tips for getting the most out of your encounter with the dolphins
Remember that the Tangalooma dolphins are wild. What you will see is natural, wild behaviour, not a 'dolphin show'.
Watching from the jetty is highly recommended. This elevated viewpoint gives you a much better position to watch the dolphin's behaviour.
Take the opportunity to listen to the presentations during the feeding and learn about dolphins.
Feeding the dolphins
Please note: The Dolphin Feeding Program operates to strict guidelines, therefore restrictions on feeding apply. The number of guests able to feed the dolphins will depend on weather and tidal conditions and dolphin attendance.
We do not want too many people to feed the dolphins.Therefore, we request that only those people who really want to, go in to feed. Those who do feed will only have a few seconds in the water, and unfortunately, may not see as much as those who choose to stay on the jetty to watch.
