Tin Can Bay

Tin Can Bay is a beautiful seaside village that is known for its abundant wildlife, easy atmosphere and magnificent wild-catch seafood harvested from the pristine waters of the Great Sandy Strait (Great Sandy Marine Park) and Pacific Ocean. It’s one of only two places in Queensland where you can hand feed a rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. Under the supervision of Barnacles Dolphin Centre, you are able to stand in the water and get up close and personal with these gentle souls.

Tin Can Bay is home to Australian Humpback Dolphins. The Australian Humpback Dolphin as of the 1st August 2014 was recognized World Wide as a species on its own, as of that date no population estimate is available so still classified rare. 

Tin can Bay came about in the 1950s when an injured dolphin beached himself on the sand at Barnacles Cafe. The locals took pity on him and started to feed him. This dolphin was well battle scarred and became known as ‘Old Scarry’. Once he was well enough Old Scarry returned to the wild but regularly returned to the bay to visit the locals and enjoy a free meal. They have a resident pod of 9 dolphins led by the Alpha Male, Mystique - the rest of his pod consists of Patch, Ella, Squirt, Harmony, Aussie, Valentine, Chompy and White Fin. Mystique has also been observed retrieving a beer bottle from Snapper Creek and bringing it to shore balanced on his beak.

The Dolphin Centre opens at 7.00am with viewing time between 7.00 - 8.00am. There is only one feeding session per day commencing at 8.00am. The dolphin feeding is regulated and closely monitored by the Queensland Government with a group of volunteers on site to ensure it is an enjoyable experience for both humans and dolphins.

The Tin can bay area has had 2 major floods in the last decade which has also affected dolphin survival in adults and calves.

To read more about Tin Can Bay visit the Barnacles Dolphin Centre, Tin Can Bay website.