Who can join the programme?

Participants must be aware that all close encounters with dolphins involve a degree of unpredictability, where quick reactions and strict attention to directions from the Park's staff are essential. For the health and safety of all participants, staff and dolphins, every participant must meet the following criteria. If at any time during the programme any participant is assessed by the Park's Marine Mammal Supervisors (s) as not being able to fulfil the following criteria, he/she will be asked to leave the programme and he/she must immediately comply with such directions.

Criteria for participation:

1. Participants must be aged 8 years or above and of a minimum height of 1.32 metres.
2. Participants under the age of 15 years must be accompanied by a parent/guardian (remark 1). (It is not strictly necessary for the accompanying parent/guardian to be with the child in the pool, but the accompanying parent/guardian shall have responsibility for the child's safety and behaviour at all times and is obliged to conduct himself or herself so as to achieve this).
3. Participants must be able to speak / understand Cantonese or English. The programme will mainly be conducted in Cantonese supplemented with English. Putonghua tour requests will be accommodated to the extent possible, but any request for a tour conducted in Putonghua must be made prior to the tour with the Park's Education Department.
4. Participants must at all times strictly follow every direction given by the Park's staff and to the satisfaction of the staff giving the instructions.
5. Participants who cannot swim competently must wear a life jacket before they enter, and at all times whilst in, the pool.
6. Participants must be able to exit the pool quickly in case of an emergency.
7. Participants must not be suffering from any infectious disease (remark 2) specified in the First Schedule to the Quarantine and Prevention of Disease Ordinance (Cap 141 of the Laws of Hong Kong).
8. Participants must not have open cuts or infections.
9. This Programme is not recommended for any person who is pregnant. To comply with health and safety considerations, pregnant participants must produce a valid current approval from a Hong Kong certified medical practitioner certifying that she is safe to participate in the programme.
10. Participants who are suffering from any disease (including, but not limited to, fever, coughing, could/flu, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, skin disease, heart disease, lung disease, haemophilia, epilepsy, fainting/giddiness/loss of consciousness when in close contact with animals, phobia of water or animals, allergy to fish or depressed immune mechanisms) are not recommended to participate in this programme.
11. Participants or in the case of participants under the age of 15 years, their accompanying parent/guardian, must complete and sign a Health Declaration Form before entering the pool.
12. Participants or in the case of participants under the age of 18 years, their parent/guardian, must sign a Liability Release Form before joining the programme.
13. No device or equipment is to be taken into the pool without the prior permission of the Park's Marine Mammal Supervisor.
14. All participants must pass a body temperature check by the Park's staff before they are allowed to enter the pool. If a participant's body temperature is higher than 38°C he or she may not be permitted to enter the pool.
15. The Park's Marine Mammal Supervisor shall at all times have the full and final right to determine whether any participant is suitable for entering the pool and may refuse entry if refusal is necessary to ensure safety or order.
16. A valid admission ticket to the Park is a prerequisite for both the participant and accompanying guest(s). The price of the admission ticket is not included in the price of participating in the Dolphin Encounter Education Programme.
17. The criteria listed above are subject to change at the discretion of the Park and without notice.

Remarks:

1. "Guardian" has the same meaning as in the "Guardianship of Minors Ordinance".
2. These diseases include acute poliomyelitis, amoebic dysentery, bacillary dysentery, chickenpox, cholera, dengue fever, diphtheria, food poisoning, influence A (H5), legionnaires' disease, leprosy, malaria, measles, meningococcal infections, mumps, paratyphoid fever, plague, rabies, relapsing fever, rubella, scarlet fever, severe acute respiratory syndrome, tetanus, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, typhus, viral hepatitis, whooping cough and yellow fever.