Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Photo: Frank Krasovec · CC BY-NC

The resident pod of 5-9 bottlenose dolphins at Dolphin Reef has occupied the site since the early 1990s, with individual animals born into the group creating multigenerational bonds with both each other and the diving staff. Dolphins show strong daily activity patterns — socialising and resting in the morning, more active play behaviour with divers in the afternoon — and consistently initiate contact with divers rather than waiting to be approached. Calves born at the site demonstrate that the dolphins regard the environment as genuinely safe, a behavioural indicator that no stressed or coerced animal population would exhibit.