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July 2005 Traveling down the East Coast of Australia, you’ll undoubtedly meet hordes of other travelers. From teenagers to backpackers to grandparents, everyone will have stories to share and advice to give. And it’s worth listening to; most tourists come to Australia and merely travel down the East Coast. But one wise traveler, who had dared to go beyond the East Coast, shared a story with me that was ultimately responsible for what I consider to be the most extraordinary experience of my life.  Exmouth About halfway down the Western Coast of Australia sits the small town of Exmouth. A fairly unremarkable town in itself, the appeal of Exmouth can be attributed to nearby Ningaloo Reef. One of only two coral reefs in the world to form on the western side of a continent, Ningaloo is often overshadowed by the Great Barrier Reef. And although The Great Barrier is magnificent in its own right, Ningaloo does have one major advantage.  Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo is accessible from the beach. Turquoise Bay, a short drive or bus ride from Exmouth, has some of the best snorkeling around. It’s worth spending an entire day here – this is one of Western Australia’s most beautiful beaches. The water betrays where the bay got its name, and the fine white sand feels delicious on your feet. Turquoise Bay is a drift snorkel, which means that a current will carry you over the reef below. The current can be quite strong in some places, and the site is not recommended for beginners. The important thing to remember is to keep your eye on the beach and get out before you hit the sand bar, otherwise, the current will carry you out to sea.  I visited Western Australia in June, which is the start of winter down under. The air is still warm, but the wind is chilly and it’s with some reluctance that I don my snorkeling gear. But I soon find that the water is warmer than the air. Once I plunge into the Indian Ocean, I don’t want to get out.

In Exmouth

As we float over a larger section of the reef, I do a double take as what I thought was a piece of coral changes color and slinks down into a crevasse. It takes me a second to register that I’ve just seen an octopus. It had started out a dull shade of red and altered itself into a less conspicuous brown. It’s hard to describe the way an octopus moves; it’s like a blob of clay melting itself around the jagged coral. 

We make sure to get out at the sand bar and run back up the beach; with the wind blowing at our wet bodies, it really does feel like winter. We happily dive back into the warm water and complete the drift snorkel again. In fact, we do it four times in total and see another two octopuses. There’s nothing like a leap into another world to refresh your mind, body and soul. It’s as exhilarating as it is relaxing.
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Whale Shark

Swimming With The World's Largest Shark But Turquoise Bay was just a bonus to me; the real reason I’d come to Exmouth was to swim with sharks. Not scary, toothy sharks, but whale sharks - the largest shark in the world.  During the winter months, from April to July, whale sharks migrate north to feed off the plankton rich waters of Ningaloo Reef. Known as the gentle giants of the ocean, whale sharks are completely harmless to humans. Swimming with them is perfectly safe, and eco-tours can be arranged from both Coral Bay and Exmouth on the west coast of Australia.  Even knowing this, I have to admit that it is with some trepidation that I leap into the warm waters of the Indian Ocean the next day on my whale shark tour. There are ten of us floating in the water, and the guide instructs us to form two lines of five. Once this is done, all that is left to do is to wait for the shark to make its way between us. This is the only scary part – I know the shark is out there, coming directly for us, but I can’t see it yet. I strain my eyes as hard as my heart is pounding, and I am finally rewarded with my first sight of the world’s largest fish.

The shark is 7 meters long from the tip of its wide head to the end of its very Jaws-like tail. From the front it definitely resembles a whale, but from the back it looks much more like a shark. A huge slash runs down its right side, just behind its gills. The white spotted skin looks soft, and every time the shark breathes, its skin wiggles like jelly. I follow the strict rules of staying at least three meters from the whale shark and four meters from its tail. Only ten people are allowed in the water with the shark at one time, and another group of eager swimmers waits up ahead. 

We swim alongside the shark for five minutes before the guide yells, “Stop!” The shark carries on, oblivious to our abrupt stop, and we float in the water breathlessly and wait for the boat to come around and pick us up. It all seems like a dream – I can’t believe I’ve actually just swum alongside a seven meter shark. But my doubt is short lived. After clambering back on the boat, we go around for another pass and back into the water for another swim. 

Swimming with whale sharks is not easy work; you have to be a reasonably good swimmer to keep up with the sharks. We went with Ningaloo Blue and the guides are excellent. With one of the best jobs in the world, they are understandably upbeat and cheerful. They do this on a daily basis, but somehow their enthusiasm hasn’t waned in the slightest. They are also willing to spin the boat around as many times as you want for repeat swims and over the course of the morning, we swim eight times with three different sharks. The sharks vary in length from about five to seven meters. Whale sharks can grow up to eighteen meters, but the ones on the Ningaloo Reef are generally between four and twelve meters. 

On our boat that day is a four year old traveling with his parents. The first time round, he’s too scared to get in the water. By the third time, with all the adults clambering back onto the boat yelping with excitement, he’s ready to see what all the fuss is all about. He does well; his father carries him on his back as we swim alongside the next shark. He doesn’t say much, but when we get back onto the boat, he’s smiling.
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Even if you’re not a strong swimmer, it’s worth it to come along and have a look at the sharks. Because they swim right through the lines of people, even if you can’t keep up with it, you’ll get a great view as it swims past. The oldest person to swim with Ningaloo Blue was eighty-five years old. Remember, the ocean is salty and you’re wearing a wetsuit, so you’re reasonably buoyant. It’s not hard to float as the world’s largest shark swims past, and it’s a sight you’ll never forget. On our last swim, the group is down to three troopers; me, my partner and another fanatical shark lover. It’s with some reluctance we finally admit that we’ve had enough several hours later. After lunch however, we’re ready to get back in the water. We snorkel contentedly over another part of the reef before heading back to the hotel to crash. I really don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted – but I’ve never had a better time getting there. It’s the rare kind of satisfied exhaustion that you get when you’ve expended all your energy, both physical and mental, doing something that you didn’t know was even possible. Ningaloo Reef is one of the only places in the world where whale sharks appear reliably in great numbers. Ningaloo Blue runs day tours from Exmouth and this once in a lifetime experience costs $320 AU. The experience includes swimming with whale sharks, a delicious buffet lunch and a dive or snorkel on the colorful reef. Ningaloo Blue uses spotter planes to locate the sharks and also has a videographer on board. For an additional $60 AU, we purchased a DVD of our exceptional adventure. And yes, we show it to everyone who comes over for a visit. Wouldn’t you?

Coral Bay

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Coral Bay

What surprised me most about Australia’s West Coast is how isolated and sparsely populated it is. After coming from the over crowded East Coast, I was shocked to arrive in Coral Bay, 140 km south of Exmouth. With a population of just over 100, Coral Bay is by far the least commercialized beachside town I’ve ever been to. 
Coral Bay is made up of two grocery stores, several hotels, one hostel, one delicious bakery and numerous tour companies. Given its small size, you’d think that there would be nothing much to do here, but think again. It’s worth spending a few days here. The beach is in walking distance from every point in town, and like Exmouth, the reef lies just meters off shore. 

I could have easily spent hours snorkeling off the beach; we saw a huge bull ray nestled in the sand, pufferfish, comical boxfish, blue face angelfish and endless blue neons. But the piece de resistance was the eagle ray we saw upon first entering the water. Its dark graceful body, covered in white spots, flowed through the water as its extraordinarily long tail trailed behind it. 

Glass bottom boats operate from the main beach and we decide to go out and have a look at a different batch of coral. Out a bit farther from the shore the coral becomes more colorful. Going over the coral in a glass bottom boat, dry and seeing without the benefit of mask and snorkel, gives the reef a whole new perspective. The guide points out and names various fish and coral that might otherwise go unnoticed. One particularly interesting piece of coral catches our eye and the guide explains that it’s called Cabbage Coral. There’s really no need to describe this coral for you, it looks exactly like a huge green cabbage. 

As much as I love glass bottom boats, the best way to see the coral and fish really is to get in the water with them. The glass bottom boat tours include snorkel stops at two different places to allow you to get up close and personal with the reef. 
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Manta Ray

One experience not to be missed is The Manta Ray Swim. I’d heard so much about these fascinating sea creatures during my time on the East Coast, but had never managed to see one. I was thrilled to learn that they are regularly found on Ningaloo Reef during the winter months. Again, the boats use spotter planes – that’s how big the rays are, and it isn’t long before two of the cartilaginous fishes are spotted not far off shore.  As the boat pulls up, I can see the mantas through the clear water. They are barrel rolling; doing somersaults while filtering plankton through their extraordinary mouths. As soon as we’re suited up, we jump in the water and head toward the rays. They don’t seem to notice we’re there, they continue barrel rolling as if twenty floating, gaping tourists is an everyday occurrence. I’m surprised by their size; the two black mantas easily measure four meters from tip to tip of their wing-like pectoral fins. It’s hard to imagine that such a huge, awkward looking creature could be so graceful. It rolls endlessly, its huge mouth open wide enough to swallow me. Its mouth is stretched so far open that I can see what look like ribs farther down the ray’s throat. But like whale sharks, manta rays are harmless to humans and their huge mouths do nothing but filter plankton. Two white lobes jut out from the side of the ray’s head, and like giant arms, they guide plankton into its mouth.

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As it rolls, its white underbelly glares in the sunlight. Five gill slits flap open and closed, and three remoras follow its every move. The remoras, grey sucking fish, never falter from the ray’s path. It rolls perfectly in time with the manta ray; a sort of marine Follow The Leader. Its long tail stands at attention and appears much more rigid than the rest of its effortlessly moving body.

The two rays eventually decide they’ve had enough and take off at an alarming speed. We attempt to follow them, but they are fast. One flap of their giant wings propels them a lot farther than one of my frantic kicks, and they’re soon lost from sight. 

The spotter plane finds another pair, slightly smaller, not too far away. This time the rays are playing, swimming along near the sandy bottom, coming near the surface and then diving back down; they’re giving us a show. One comes close enough for me to reach out and touch, but I pull away reflexively. The other is completely black; its lobes, underbelly and top side are all the same color. I could watch them play all day. Nothing else I have seen in the ocean moves in such a unique manner; part of its beauty lies simply in the way it glides through the water.
Due to its isolation, Coral Bay is more expensive than some of the other stops on the West Coast. Eating out is definitely pricey and even shopping for and cooking your own dinner will cost more than you expect. One way to combat the higher costs of Coral Bay is to stay at the hostel. Club Ningaloo is not your typical hostel; the bar, swimming pool, laundry facilities and self catering kitchen make it seem more like home. Travelers of all ages stay in the dorms, but private rooms are also available. Guests of Club Ningaloo are also treated to discounts on many of Coral Bay’s tours, including the Manta Ray Swim. 

The following is a list of articles that Dawnelle has written for the magazine:

Australia’s East Coast Islands ~ Island Hopping
Travels in Australia - More From The East Coast Of Australia
Travels Down Under ~ The East Coast Of Australia
Turtle Hatchlings - Wet, Sloppy Seal Kisses and Feeding Dolphins 
Islands ~ From The Caribbean To The Mediterranean
Cancun ~ The Daylife
Crikey! Crocs And Devils And Platypuses ~ Oh My!
Western Canada Part One ~ Walk With Dinosaurs
Western Canada Part Two ~ More Adventures In Western Canada
Istanbul - History Comes to Life
Teaching English In Turkey - Falling In Love With Turkey
Charmed, I’m Sure! ~ In Morocco 
The Country Of Eternal Spring - Guatemala
Pure Life - Traveling Through Costa Rica
I Dream Of The Sea ~ Diving In Roatan
Britain - Beyond London
Scotland - Castles, Monsters and Fairy Whispers
Luck Of The Irish ~ The Emerald Isle
Island Hopping In Greece - Mediterranean Summer
When In Rome…..Eat Ice Cream ~ Italian Adventures

To contact Dawnelle Click Here
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