Western Australia’s spectacular sandy beaches and baffling rock formations is part of why I love visiting this part of the country. Being able to fly a few hours from Melbourne and explore these places is such a privilege and one that I have not taken for granted.
But alongside some of these stunning locations, I’ve also been lucky enough to embark on some epic adventures too. From chilling with quokkas on “Rotto” to getting lost at The Pinnacles Desert, I’ve made so many memories in this incredible state. But by far my most unforgettable experience in W.A must be swimming in the pristine waters of Ningaloo Reef with the biggest fish in the world, the whale shark.
The Ningaloo Reef is a World Heritage Site located approximately 1,200km’s north of Perth, in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. Measuring 260km long and covering around 500 square kilometres, the Ningaloo Reef is one of the largest coral reefs in the world! Unlike the better-known Great Barrier Reef, which mostly lies far offshore, Ningaloo is a fringing reef which means it comes right up to the beach! The reef contains over 250 species of coral and over 500 species of fish, including the mighty Whale Shark!
During my most recent trip to Western Australia, I took the 1250km scenic drive from Perth to the Coral Coast to and it remains as one of my favourite trips to date. On my last morning, I booked a Whale Shark Safari with Coral Bay Eco Tours to see if I could spot any of these majestic sea creatures. The tour started at roughly 8am where we were briefed and taken to the nearby jetty to board our vessel to start this exciting tour. Within an hour after leaving the dock, me and my fellow adventure buddies hopped in the water for our first snorkelling experience of the day where we spotted turtles, reef sharks and vibrant coral gardens.
After a short morning tea break, we were informed by our captain that their spotting plane had just taken flight and we would be notified once they found any nearby whale sharks. Within a few minutes after he’s announcement, the spotters had found a whale shark and everyone on board was scrambling to put on their snorkelling gear. We were split up into two groups of ten and took turns hopping in the water where we got into a line formation to allow the shark to swim past. Our tour guide counted us down 3…2…1… and we were told to dunk our heads under the water and wait in anticipation for the shark to appear.
After several nerve-racking seconds, a massive silhouette appeared in the distance, and it was growing larger and larger with each passing moment. Soon the whale shark was at arm’s length and I was in absolute disbelief when I saw the true size of this beast. Swimming right in front of me was a 9-metre-long whale shark with the most beautiful pattern of stripes and spots. Although whale sharks migrate very long distances, they move at speeds of only 10/km per hour so it was easy to swim alongside this gorgeous beast. Despite their huge size, whale sharks are docile filter feeders that cruise the world’s oceans looking for plankton, so this experience felt surprisingly relaxing and surreal. After stopping to swim with two smaller whale sharks, we all enjoyed a glass of champagne to celebrate a successful day on the reef.
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