Baby dolphins entice visitors

Mandurah Ocean Marina has some new residents which have given locals and tourists alike many reasons to smile.

Six dolphin calves are believed to have been born in the marina in the past six months.

Mandurah Cruises sales manager Kevin Mahney said they were welcome additions to the pods that already called the marina home.

‘‘They’re here all the time, on our cruises we’ll probably see them about 93 per cent of the time,’’ he said.

‘‘Very rarely you don’t see them, but basically being wild animals, if we don’t see them someone else will see them somewhere else.

‘‘We’ve got the protected waters, of course, and being very shallow it’s easy for them to catch their lunch.

‘‘The marina is just full of herring and mullet at the moment, so they use the area for breeding and eating grounds rather than out in the ocean, they’ll only go out there for a surf.’’

Mr Mahney said the baby dolphins had been a treat for visitors to the marina. ‘‘It’s a massive attraction,’’ he said.

‘‘I suppose it’s better than going to Monkey Mia, because you can just about touch them here and you see them more regularly,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s quite an experience, it’s great for tourism.’’

One of the babies had also been named Giggle, after it had been overheard laughing away by a passenger.