Excited to learn more about the remarkable Monkey Mia dolphins which have been coming to the shore in Shark Bay, Western Australia for more than 50 years? Having recently visited myself, I’m sharing everything you need to know about the best times to see them, how much it costs and much more!
Where is Monkey Mia?
Monkey Mia is essentially a beach, located in the stunningly picturesque coastal area of Shark Bay in Western Australia. The town is a six hour drive from Perth and is located near Geraldton and Kalbarri. As a popular getaway from Perth and home to some of the best beaches in WA, it also brings in many people looking to explore the amazing Francis Peron National Park and surrounding areas. But the main reason why many people make the trip here is to see the famous dolphin experiences each morning.
What makes Monkey Mia special
Not only have the Monkey Mia dolphins been visiting the shore for 50 years, it is one of the best and rare wild animal experiences in the world. With over 3000 dolphins in the Shark Bay World Heritage Listed Area and 30 resident dolphins who regularly come to the shore, you’ll have an opportunity to see them being fed and learn all about them.
Things to know before coming to Monkey Mia
1. You’ll need to pay to see the dolphins
The main thing that really surprised us is you have to pay to go onto the beach at Monkey Mia. At the time of visiting, we had to pay $15 each to get day entry passes to get onto the beach which is definitely a first for us in Australia.
We actually turned up in the afternoon and saw the ticket counter before driving away because we knew we would be back the following morning to see the dolphins so we didn’t want to pay $60 just to go visit a beach over the course of two days.
2. What time to see the Monkey Mia dolphins
If you would like to see the Monkey Mia dolphins show, you’ll need to get there for a 7:45am kick off. We saw conflicting times with it starting at 8am and finishing up to 12pm as there are three sittings.
We turned up at 8am and the show had already started. We saw about 10 minutes at most and that was it. So I recommend getting there at 7:30am to be on the safe side. If you’re staying in Denham, it takes 20 minutes to drive to Monkey Mia conservation park.
3. There are three shows you need to know about
We were told there are three showing times to watch the dolphins being fed between 8am – 12pm and to be honest, it’s not like the dolphins just rock up whenever. They know when they will be fed.
So, I pulled over one of the hosts of the show I went to see to ask them more about the times. Turns out the second show starts about 10 minutes after the first one finishes (so around 8:15am) then the third one is another 30 minutes after that. They do this to give the dolphins a bit of a break so they are actually still hanging around the beach, just not up on the shoreline.
There is a visitor centre, shop and cafe here at the caravan park in Monkey Mia to get a coffee after the experience if you want to wait around between the shows.
4. What the show actually looks like
When we visited the Monkey Mia dolphin experience, we saw a couple of hosts with microphones in the water talking about the dolphins. They spend about 30 minutes talking about the dolphins who all have names. I asked them afterwards how do they know which dolphin is which and they told me it is due to their unique fins. Some have different markings or wounds to be able to distinguish the difference between them.
The hosts will then pick out two lucky people in the crowd to feed the dolphins fish. You can watch the experience from the jetty or on the beach.
At first I just couldn’t get my head around paying $15 to walk onto a beach, but the dolphin experience was worth it in the end.
I overheard some European tourists say how it was the first experience they had seen tourists behave themselves because everyone stayed quiet and respected everything they were told to do to keep their distance from the dolphins.
5. What to do if you come into contact with wild dolphins in the water
If you do come across dolphins in the water in Australia, you must keep your distance and get out asap. Interacting with dolphins is illegal so do not attempt to feed them, or swim with them unless you are with a tour operator.
Where to stay in Shark Bay
Wondering where to stay in Shark Bay? If you don’t have a 4wd, you can stay at Monkey Mia, yet there is just a resort and caravan park here. Monkey Mia beach is beautiful so you technically won’t need to go anywhere.
Otherwise stay in Denham like we did which is where the town is located. Here you’ll have access to shops etc.
Here’s the top accommodation for Shark Bay
- RAC Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort – the only accommodation at Monkey Mia to choose from. Includes a caravan park and hotel accommodation.
- Shark Bay Caravan Park – where we stayed, opposite the beach in Denham which is the main town in Shark Bay (pictured above).
- Peron Homestead Precinct – 4wd camping accommodation with their very own hot tub guests can use (books up fast).
