Wild Dolphin Encounters In Koombana Bay

With swimming encounters, and up-close cruises, the Dolphin Discovery Centre is one of the few places in Australia where you can meet wild bottlenose dolphins. A fully interactive experience, this is a tourist haven for anyone keen on getting to know more about these loveable mammals.

Based in Bunbury, just under two hours’ drive from Perth, the Dolphin Discovery Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to help visitors understand more about the dolphins with memorable experiences. You can meet the regular visitors in the shallow waters of the Interaction Zone in Koombana Bay. Here, you are encouraged to get into the water, about mid thigh-deep, so that you’re within close distance of the dolphins that come and go as they please. To increase the chances of seeing them, it is recommended to arrive at the centre by 8am and spend the morning on the lookout.

If you want an even closer experience, the centre can take you out to swim with the dolphins. A truly fantastic trip, you will be joined by an experienced guide, trained volunteers, and no more than 17 other swimmers on the Swim Encounter, as you journey out to the open waters of Koombana Bay by boat. If dolphin sightings do occur, you may be lucky enough to interact with them, but it’s completely up to the dolphins. Costing $149pp, choosing this tour also gives you entry to the Discovery Centre, and your wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins are provided.

You can watch the dolphins in the water without getting wet – just opt for the Dolphin Eco Cruise. For one-and-a-half hours, you will be taken around Koombana Bay to watch them frolicking, playing and feeding in the wild. Costing $49pp, there are a maximum 25 passengers on the eco cruise, so you can guarantee a brilliant view of the dolphins in their natural habitat. The price also includes three visits to the Discovery Centre.

The Discovery Centre is full of dolphin facts, historic conservation and ground-breaking research and information on other marine life that you can find in the waters of Koombana Bay. There are sound booths so you can hear how dolphins communicate under water, a 360-degree digital dolphinarium, a 3D movie on the dolphins in the bay, and a discovery pool where you can touch starfish and other sea creatures.

Come face to face with wild dolphins and other marine life that make Koombana Bay the centre of discovery. Book your trip today at dolphindiscovery.com.au.

Images courtesy of Troy Mayne and Dave and Fiona Harvey