After a smooth ferry ride, we arrived at Tangalooma and followed the other EcoMarines into a big marquee, ready to start our adventure. We enjoyed some pizza before being introduced to our group for the next part of the day.

Our first activity was learning about how we can start an action plan at school and different project ideas. We then moved onto an activity with Coral Watch (Citizen Science on the Reef), to learn about coral bleaching and how to save coral.

Next, we did some team-building activities where we broke up into different groups of EcoMarines and had a lot of fun. Other activities included a ‘street science’ show where we learned about sewage and urban utilities and what can and can’t go down the drain. We also heard from SEQ Water, learning about our dams and how experimenting with filters to clean water. We then had some free time to learn about animals at the Eco-Centre, relax at the beach and have fun!

After dinner we listened to an informative presentation about the dolphins we were about to feed, and about their history at Tangalooma. Once the presentation was over, we gathered all our belongings and headed down to the beach for the best part of the day, dolphin feeding!

The three of us lined up on the beach in our lanes ready to feed the dolphins with slimy, silver fish from out of a bucket. Mrs Stuart and Matthew went into the water in lane 6 to feed a dolphin called Luna. Maddie and Ella fed Silhouette, mother of Eclipse, her new baby. It was an unforgettable experience!

We returned back to school, excited about knowing a lot more about conservation and the environment.

Matthew, Maddie and Ella