Gentle Giants
Swim with the majestic whale shark on the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia with this once in a lifetime experience.
09 March 2021
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Ningaloo Reef’s whale shark season has started early with guests able to swim with the majestic creatures from mid-March, on tour with Exmouth-based operator Ningaloo Discovery.
Ningaloo’s whale shark season generally runs from March to July, with the potential to run through to November. But this year, thanks to the annual full-moon coral spawning, has seen whale sharks spotted in the region since late last month.
The UNESCO Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area is situated at the northern end of Australia’s Coral Coast and is home to the country’s largest fringing reef system. It’s also one of the only places on the planet where these huge, but completely harmless, fish reliably congregate on an annual basis.
The Ningaloo Reef, which stretches along 300-kilometres from just north of Carnarvon at Red Bluff to the Muiron Islands off the Exmouth coast, is also the only place in Australia where you can swim with the “Marine Big Three” – whale sharks, manta rays, which are seen all year-round, and humpback whales from June to October.
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Ningaloo is also one of Australia’s newest Hope Spots, making the Coral Coast region’s now home to two of Australia’s seven Hope Spots.
Hope Spots are locations considered critical to the health of the ocean. The World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef and the adjacent Exmouth Gulf were designated as having global significance by international marine science organisation, Mission Blue.
Swimming with whale sharks at Ningaloo is a bucket-list experience and those interested should book early to avoid disappointment.
Children aged over five years old and who can swim can join a tour accompanied by their parents.
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