It’s often said that swimming at Ningaloo Reef is like “swimming through stars”. This is because you can see wildlife wonders including coral gardens, tropical fish and the famous whale shark – in the shallows – so you don’t need to worry about how strong a swimmer you are in open water.

Ningaloo Reef, located in the mid-north of Western Australia, is one of the largest reefs in the world that can be reached just by stepping off the beach. Every year, during March to June, the whale shark, the world’s largest fish, can be found here gorging itself on coral spawn.

The first thing you’ll be struck by is how huge the whale shark is. You’ve just jumped underwater when you see this massive feeder around 12 metres long and weighing more than 11 tonnes, heading straight for you. Despite your nerves, you manage to swim out of its way and it glides straight past you. Suddenly you relax and become a part of its magical world.

All the whale shark eats is plankton so they’re completely fine with you swimming around them. They also swim really close to the surface so you don’t have to be a scuba diver to swim with them.

Ningaloo Reef is the only accessible place in the world where whale sharks appear in large numbers at predictable times of the year. Because of its proximity to the coast, you’ll see an amazing variety of other types of marine life too – you can swim or dive with manta rays, dugongs, humpback whales, turtles and you can snorkel with your family in sheltered lagoons crammed with stromatolites (living fossils) and over 160 species of coral.

There are lots of other cool things you can do on the Coral Coast. You can meet the dolphins of Monkey Mia. Monkey Mia is located 27 kms from the town of Denham. In the early 1960s, a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins started visiting Monkey Mia and it’s now a ritual. The dolphins are wild yet visit of their own accord up to three times per day all year round and if you’re lucky, you may even get to feed them.

If you love to spend a sunny day boating or fishing, head to Denham. In fact the whole stretch of coast from Cervantes to Kalbarri is a local favourite for small boat and beach fishing.

About 45kms from Denham on the Hamelin Road is Shell Beach. Take a walk along it and you’ll see that it’s a beach formed from billions of tiny white shells, up to 10 metres deep and stretches for approximately 110 km. It’s one of only two shell beaches in the world. Many of these shells have been used in the construction of buildings throughout Denham.

The Abrolhos Islands in the Geraldton Region is where you can dive the famous Batavia shipwreck. On 4 June 1629, the Dutch East India Company Sailing Ship Batavia was wrecked along these islands. Charter a plane as the best way to see Abrolhos is from the air.

Visit the Kalbarri National Park 160km north of Geraldton during July to October and you’ll see many different types of colourful wildflowers such as Banksias, Everlastings and Kangaroo Paws – native only to the south-west of Western Australia.

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Swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, WA

• Nearest City:Perth
• Distance to Perth:1260kms
• Nearest Airport:Exmouth
• Distance to Exmouth Airport:36kms

Local Attractions in the Area

• Ningaloo Reef Itinerary
• Animal Interaction Itinerary
• Cape Range National Park
• Turquoise Bay
• Shothole Canyon
• Yardie Creek
• Exmouth
• Coral Bay

Helpful Links for the Area

• Ningaloo Marine Life & National Parks
• Snorkelling in the Coral Coast
• Reefs in WA
• Australia's Coral Coast

Seasonal Events

• Whale Sharks Season
• Coral Spawning
• Turtle Nesting and Hatching
• Exmouth Whale Shark season