Yesterday I went for a 3 hr paddle on Tuross Lake and as has happened every time I've been out since they became trapped, three dolphins came out to play.

Ten of them came into the lake back in the middle of August and three of them must have liked the look of the place because only seven of them went back out to sea.

Shortly after that the entrance became too shallow for them to return and for the last couple of months the mouth has been completely closed.

There are two large adults and one juvenile. Their situation is being monitored by National Parks and Wildlife Service and all the signs at the moment indicate that they are happy and healthy. The juvenile is about twice the size it was when it first arrived.

The lake seems to be large enough and the supply of fish great enough to keep them happy. In spite of the worries of some fishermen that they will deplete the fish stocks in the lake, I have to say that this morning I saw at least as many fishermen hauling in fish as I usually do.

On a couple of occasions when a group of us were just sitting in a bunch ready to work out which direction we would paddle, one surfaced in the middle of the group, less than a couple of meters from the kayaks.

There is no question that they are attracted to the kayaks. Normally they circle around for several minutes. I have had one pass less than a meter in front of the bow.

This morning was really special. Normally they rise out of the water so that about half the depth of their body is visible. This morning one rose far enough that the whole depth of its body was out of the water. Then all three of them jumped about a metre out of the water. All this happened about a kayak length away from me.

Money can't buy the special feeling of an experience like that.

PS. The temperature was around 24C to 37C or 75F to 80F.