Jul

Junior Marine Ranger Program

By Alison

During the school holidays I was lucky enough to accompany my boys and their friends on a day out at Dolphin Marine Magic to participate in the Junior Marine Ranger Program.

At the risk of sounding a bit “Disney”, it was one of those days that none of us will ever forget. I felt so honoured to share the experience and we are very fortunate that Coffs kids have an opportunity like this!

The day started at 9am with a bit of a ‘briefing’ on what we were going to do for the day. At the end of this session normally parents are asked to leave but I was allowed to stay so I could “document” the day’s activities (that was my excuse anyway…!)

You can read about what’s included on the Dolphin Marine Magic website. There was SO MUCH involved, so much learnt and experienced – but here I will share with you our highlights of the day:

Jasper, 13 years: My favourite activity was hiding the food & toys in the seal enclosure because it was nice to see the seals getting their treats and it was fun.

Lenny, 9 years: I liked the penguins because we got to feed them and they were so cute and they tried to snatch the fish off me. I learnt how to check turtles. We got to prepare buckets of fish for the dolphins and I learnt that there are different types of fish that have different tastes to dolphins such as M&M, broccoli, carrots. We had to make sure they had a good mix of different fish. Even Mummy had to help!

Zenny, 8 years: Getting kissed by the dolphin was the best because it felt like sushi being pressed on my face. My other favourite part was preparing the fish buckets for the dolphins and penguins because I liked the feel of the fish. When feeding the penguins it was funny because when I dropped a fish the penguins played tug of war with the fish until one of them won and ate it.

Mason, 12 years: I liked feeding the Stingrays, Sharks and fish because it was exciting waiting for them to snatch the fish from the tongs and every time they did it scared me. I also liked getting front row seats at the show because we got to see close up the different behaviours of the seals & dolphins and tricks they can do.

Mummy: one of my favourite parts was when we went to the Marine Hospital and we got to look very closely at a turtle, learn the reasons various marine animals are bought into Dolphin Marine Magic, how they are cared for and monitored until they are ready to be released back into the wild.

Mason, 12 years: I couldn’t believe we got to get into the pool with Bella, the dolphin. She was so calm and friendly. We learnt more about dolphins close up and got to touch her!

At the end of the day the kids were all presented with their Certificate of Completion for the Junior Marine Ranger Program, then they were given photos of all their seal & dolphin kisses as well as the dolphin swim. These will be cherished forever!

Side-note & disclaimer: Dolphin Marine Magic were extremely generous in allowing the 4 boys and I to experience the Junior Ranger Marine program complimentary. I wish to thank them wholeheartedly for the experience, all the kids were absolutely enthralled the entire day and have already asked if they can do it again. While the cost of the program might seem quite expensive, for the inclusions and experience it is well worth it. When relatives and friends ask what to get your kids for birthday or Christmas, suggest money towards this program. I guarantee you it will give your kids memories and an experience they will never forget!