Great Outdoors

The day had finally arrived for my swim with the dolphins adventure, and the Perth weather was perfect – a bright and sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. 

My adventure with the dolphins started in darkness however, as I had set my alarm clock for an early wake up call  to get to my pick up point before 7am. My chosen pick up point was the Wellington Street Coach Tourist Stand in the Perth CBD.

For those who have not been to the Tourist Stand in the city, it is located between William Street and Queen St on the bus port side of Wellington Street. Look out for the prominent sign Wellington Street Coach Tourist Stand next to the glass bus shelter. You can’t miss it!

Even if it is an ungodly hour of the morning and you haven’t had your dose of caffeine yet, you’ll be sure to spot lots of happy visitors congregating around the stand waiting to depart for their travel adventures. From Albany to Exmouth, travellers were off and away to some of the many beautiful destinations in WA.
The bus ride is a short 30 minutes down Kwinana Freeway to reach Rockingham, a seaside town about 40 kilometres from Perth. My fellow passengers on the bus were from many parts of the world, from as far off as the UK to our nearby South East Asian neighbour of Singapore.






We were all eagerly awaiting our chance to swim with the dolphins. As you are actually swimming with the dolphins in the wild, each adventure is unique in terms of your experience and what you will see on the day.

We had on board a very friendly and expert crew from Rockingham Wild Encounters. Terry the owner has been working with the dolphins for over 20 years, and is a well experienced tour operator in the Rockingham area.

To Terry and the gang (Aaron, Simon our skipper, Cindy, Will, Jerri, Elyse, and Wanda) – thanks so much for an awesome experience with the dolphins.  It doesn't matter whether you are experienced with the water and snorkelling, or are a complete beginner, Rockingham Wild Encounters caters for a wide range of abilities. So if you are feeling a bit nervous about the whole experience  and haven't  snorkelled before, I would suggest to go for it, because you are in extremely good hands.

On this day, our group were lucky and the dolphins were in a rather playful mood. We saw and swam with many dolphins - they are beautiful creatures up close. The lads are slightly bigger than the female dolphins, and have more war wounds, since they have been known to get in a few fights or two with each other. It must be because they are vying for their future girlfriends. Now come on lads – there are enough lovely ladies to go around!

With our tour leaders in tow, we quietly entered the waters. Cindy and Jerri were a couple of the main leaders who did the hard work of diving deep with their aqua scooter to touch base with the dolphins - there are around 150 resident dolphins who generally hang out within about a 30 kilometre radius in the waters of Rockingham.

A few tips when swimming with the dolphins. Follow the instructions of your leader and listen to the instructional talks at the start carefully. Be as quiet as you can when you get into the water, and try to keep splashing and noise to a minimum. Become familiar with your mask and snorkel, especially if you’ve never used one before. Follow the above tips and you’ll be sure to enjoy some quality time interacting with the dolphins. I was amazed at how close we got to the dolphins and the excitement of both human and dolphin was a delight to experience. They are amazing creatures and to be respected at all times.

The dolphin season in Perth runs from early September to early June, so the dolphins were keenly awaiting our visit, and were extremely happy to see us, since this was only the 2nd outing for the season. If you become a water resident at Rockingham, you’ll soon get to know some of the familiar names of the local dolphins - Mouse and Pimple being a few of the playful characters.

If you’re thinking about having an adventure of a lifetime, then I suggest having a swim with the dolphins in Rockingham. For local Perthites, these amazing creatures are right in our backyards, and it is a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed. For visitors to Perth, you are in for a truly delightful encounter with dolphins in the wild. The Rockingham experience of swimming with the dolphins is leading the way in eco tourism in terms of the company’s utmost care in the way in which it interacts with the dolphins.

Following our snorkel in the waters of the Indian Ocean and swim with the dolphins, we ventured back onto the boat to be greeted by a hot cup of tea (or two!) and lunch. All in all, I had an amazing day swimming with the dolphins. The weather was perfect, and it will be a experience to treasure for many years to come.

For more information about swimming with the dolphins with Rockingham Wild Encounters, visit

SWIM WITH THE DOLPHINS

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Scott (23.09.2011 (05:29:37))

Dolphins in Perth Hello

I really enjoyed this article - thankyou for sharing not only the details of how to get out to visit and swim with dolphins, but also how it made you feel. Your story made me laugh and feel a lot

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