NINGALOO REEF

(To view the pictures of this trip simply click on the thumbnails. These images have been extracted from the DIVEPAINT DVD "Diving with Whalesharks".)

The North West Cape of Western Australia stretches out into the Indian Ocean, the Ningaloo Reef runs for 260 km along its western shore backed by the limestone mountains of the Cape Range National Park. The region is remote and somewhat desolate with the local population concentrated at the township of Exmouth to the north and the small settlement of Coral Bay to the south.

We came here to swim with Whalesharks and our dive plan was worked out with the Exmouth Diving Centre and Ningaloo Reef Dive at Coral Bay, who advised us that end April / early June was the period of the most sightings. The corals of the Ningaloo Reef have a spectacular spawning in April that is borne along the reef on the currents and a build up of plankton creates an irresistable nutrient soup for these largest of fishes that cruise northwards, just offshore of the reef. They feed close to the surface and the Australian Department of the Environment will only allow snorkelling with the Whalesharks in an attempt to minimize disturbance to their feeding. There are no guarantees that Whalesharks will be spotted on any particular day but the dive centres have a policy of offering a second free boat trip if no sharks are seen. Spotter planes patrol the reef and are in radio contact with the dive boat skippers, guiding them into the path of the Whalesharks once they have been sighted. Imagine our delight when four sharks were spotted on our first day out from Coral Bay and our amazement when the fourth Whaleshark turned out to be 14 meters long, the largest seen on the Ningaloo Reef for 5 years! This incredible giant was swimming leisurely upside down beneath the boat and posed beautifully for the underwater video. Our luck continued at Exmouth where we were treated to more encounters.

Other dives were spent on the Ningaloo Reef itself. These were shallow dives of 8 - 10 meters and the visability was a disappointing 10 meters at best. However, this was compensated by a remarkable wealth and rich diversity of marine life including Woobegong Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Manta Rays, Sea Snakes, Catfishes and multi-coloured Nudibranches.