Marine Magic: Discover An Underwater World At Ningaloo Reef

Dreaming of a magnificent and exhilarating wildlife encounter and aquatic wonderland? Why not explore the crystal-clear waters of the largest reef in Australia, Ningaloo Reef, and swim with the largest living sharks in the world? 

Here are some of my most enriching experiences at Ningaloo Reef. 

Swimming with whale sharks is an intoxicating cocktail of nerves and excitement, from the drumbeat of your heart to how long you can stare without blinking. You just want to continue to live in that moment. We abruptly halted our finning, floating like seaweed on the outer rim of the reef. As our bodies cast shadows along the mottled giant, it passed beneath us like a covert submarine. And when the giant lasso of a mouth from the next gentle giant came into focus, I clamped (near broke) my husband’s hand, hearing my stifled yells vibrate through my snorkel. We lay there, rigid, until we remembered to breathe again. 

To say that meeting these magnificent creatures is life-affirming just doesn’t cut it. World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef is one of only a handful of places where whale sharks arrive en masse each year. Between March and July, the world’s largest fish comes to filter-feed on a smorgasbord of spawning coral. 

Ningaloo Marine Park, a living kaleidoscope of pelagic and reefdwelling critters, decorates 260km of the WA coastline between Exmouth in the north and Quobba further south. Manta rays, dolphins, dugongs and sea turtles live alongside the fringing reef, which tiptoes up to just metres from the land. Step right off the sand to snorkel around flourishing coral gardens that are home to angelfish, damselfish, sweetlips, parrotfish and scissortail sergeants. Which of the 200 species of coral or the 500 species of fish you’ll find will be a lucky dip. 

On my recent trip, I drift snorkelled along Turquoise Bay. Hardly having to even lift a fin, I became the slideshow, passing millennium-old cabbage coral. And in the shallows of Coral Bay, further south, I watched from the sand, juvenile black-tip reef sharks, which play out childhood between October and March. Return between August and November for a chance encounter with humpback whales in the water during their migration. 

Once you’ve witnessed these graceful giants, you’ll understand just how thrilling, yet humbling sharing their waters can be. At the mercy of the ocean, suddenly realising how insignificant you are in the world is soul stirring. So why not book one of Flight Centre’s cheap flights to Exmouth and take a whale shark tour where you get to swim with some of the largest fish in the sea.  

Ningaloo Reef is located about 1,200km north of Perth and can be accessed by direct flights to Exmouth. Classed as endangered due to habitat loss, migration disruption and boat strikes, book only with accredited tour companies that embrace responsible tourism to help protect the whale sharks.  

This article was originally published in Travel ideas: Australia magazine, which is available in stores and to read online.