Merlin’s Fins and Friends

Come meet our fin-tastic pod here at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom! This up-close encounter allows participants to stand poolside with our Animal Care Specialists and learn about what makes these marine mammals so incredible. Guests will experience a one-of-a-kind interaction with one of the park’s famous bottlenose dolphins by feeding, touching, and exploring natural behaviors. But be ready! Our dolphins know how to make a splash and you may get wet!

Participant Requirements:

In order to enter the interaction area, a paid Participant or Observer ticket is required
Participants under the age of 5 MUST be accompanied by an adult with a paid Participant ticket. Guests who do not have a paid adult Participant to accompany their children under the age of 5 may have their reservation cancelled.
Participants ages 5-12 must be accompanied by an adult with a paid Participant ticket or a paid Observer Ticket.
Park admission is required to participate and is NOT included with this package

Photography Package for Merlin’s Fins and Friends:

Total number of photos: 5

Pricing: $24.99

Cutoff to purchase online: 2:30 pm on the day of your program * Photography packages cannot be purchased after the cutoff time

Loose Item and Photography Policies:

For the dolphin’s safety, loose items including cell phones are not permitted during this program. No personal photography of any kind is permitted. Guests must store all loose items including cell phones in the designated area prior to entering the interaction area. Violating the Loose Item and Photography Policies may result in an early dismissal from the program.

If you would like photos of your interaction, a photography package is available for purchase during the online booking process. Photography packages are available for purchase up to 30 minutes prior to your scheduled program time. Digital photos will be sent to the guest(s) after the program.

Program Policies:

Bookings that do not adhere to the Participant Requirements outlined above may be cancelled and are not eligible for a refund.

For the dolphins’ safety, loose items including cell phones are not permitted during this program.

For everyone’s safety and comfort, please advise us prior to your interaction if there are any emotional, behavioral, or physical conditions that could affect a guest’s participation so we may make appropriate accommodations.

Prior to your program, you will receive a call and/or email confirmation from Education staff to confirm your booking and provide any relevant program information.

While most of our animal interaction programs are hands-on, we can never guarantee touching or feeding animals.

This program runs rain or shine. If severe weather prompts a park closure, guests will be contacted regarding options for their purchased programs.

There are no refunds.

You can reschedule your program 72 hours or more from your original reservation date and time. There will be no rescheduling accepted with less than 72 hours’ notice.

For general questions or any special accommodations, please contact [email protected] or 707-556-5434

Animal Facts

A dolphin’s strongest sense is their hearing. In dark or murky waters where visibility is low, dolphins utilize echolocation to navigate their surroundings. They start by emitting high pitched clicks from their blowhole, which are then amplified by their melon. These signals are bounced off of objects in the water and received back through the dolphins’ lower jaw traveling then to their inner ear. They can use this information to determine not only the location of an object but also its density and size up to a football field away!
One adaptation that dolphins have for living in the open ocean is their coloration. Similar to other marine animals, bottlenose dolphins exhibit a type of camouflage called countershading. This means they have a dark grey colored back and lighter colored belly. This helps them blend into the rocky ocean floor if viewed from above as well as the sunlight reflecting off the surface of the water if viewed from below!
Dolphins are conscious breathers, meaning they have to think about each breath they take! On average, bottlenose dolphins breathe 1-2 times a minute but can hold their breath up to 8 minutes.
Did you know that dolphins have hair just like other mammals? Newborn calves have a few sparse whiskers on their rostrum that they use to help find their mother’s mammary glands to start nursing. These whiskers fall out soon after birth, usually when the calf is around two to three weeks old.
The strongest part of a dolphin’s body is their tail. The tail is connected to a large muscle, called a peduncle, which allows bottlenose dolphins to swim up to 18 mph and jump up to three times their body length! While swimming, they move their tail in an up and down motion as opposed to sharks who are fish and swim in a side-to-side motion.

Popular Topics

Find Your Park

Merlin’s Fins and Friends

Animal Facts

Copyrights and Trademarks