Dining with Flipper

Not far from the Ningaloo Reef is Shark Bay, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its diverse wildlife.

One famous place in Shark Bay is Monkey Mia, where dolphins are fed every morning. We were there during the school holidays, so it was particularly crowded. And expensive too! Instead of the usual $12, we had to pay $18! Per person! But since we were already there...

There are 2-3 feedings every morning, depending on how often the dolphins return. However, there are only 5-6 fish per feeding, which means a maximum of 1 fish per dolphin. In the 1980s, the dolphins were fed so much that the parents and their young no longer went hunting regularly, and so these skills were not passed on to the young. Now, during the feeding, the dolphins only receive a maximum of 10% of their daily food needs and still have to take care of the rest themselves.

At each feeding, one person is chosen to "hand over" the fish to the dolphin. And I was one of the lucky ones! :-)

For the second round, I stood at the back on purpose. However, I was picked again! I then gave up my spot to a Dutch couple, Lis and Joe, whom we later traveled with for a while.

During our days there, we stayed at a campsite in Nanga. Since we had cleaned a few rooms, we were allowed to stay for free in a small cabin. When the manager found out that Sarah is good at baking and I can cook fairly well, we were hired on the spot to prepare food for a group of 40 travelers. So the otherwise relaxed days almost turned into stress by the end! :-)