Travel Planner [0]
logo

(08) 9941 1146

26°C Mostly Sunny
logo
  • Home
  • Visitor Info
    • Carnarvon
      • Getting Here
      • Getting Around
      • Places to Eat
    • Carnarvon - Visitor Info 2
      • Local Businesses
      • Pet Friendly
      • Town Services & Facilities
    • Coral Bay
      • Getting Here
      • Getting Around
      • Places to Eat
    • Coral Bay - Visitor Info 2
      • Local Businesses
      • Town Services & Facilities
  • See & Do
    • Carnarvon
      • Heritage & History
      • Art & Culture
      • Local Produce, Farm Gates & Markets
      • Fishing & Boating
    • See & Do Carnarvon Separator
      • Flora & Fauna
      • Walking & Cycling
      • Beaches & Natural Landscapes
    • Coral Bay
      • Marine Life
      • Scuba, Snorkelling & Diving
      • Fishing & Boating
    • Southern Ningaloo
      • Marine & Wildlife
      • Fishing & Boating
      • Snorkelling & Swimming
      • Surfing & Kitesurfing
    • Gascoyne Hinterland
      • Kennedy Range National Park
      • Mount Augustus National Park
      • Outback Pathways
      • Flora & Fauna
  • Stay
    • Carnarvon
      • Chalets, Apartments, Hotel & Motels
      • Holiday Houses
      • Caravan & Camping
      • Station Stays & Wilderness Campsites
    • Coral Bay
      • Caravan & Camping
      • Chalets & Resorts
      • Holiday Houses
      • Station Stays
    • Southern Ningaloo
      • Point Quobba, Blowholes
      • Quobba & Red Bluff
      • Gnaraloo
      • Warroora Coast (14 Mile Camp)
    • Gascoyne Hinterland
      • Kennedy Range National Park
      • Mount Augustus National Park
    • Holiday Deals
      • #DOITINWA
      • Packages
  • Play
    • Carnarvon
      • Helicopter & Scenic Tours
      • Fishing Tours
    • Coral Bay
      • Whale Shark Tours
      • Manta Ray Tours
      • Humpback Whale Tours
      • Helicopter & Scenic Tours
    • Play - Separator
      • Snorkelling Tours
      • Fishing Tours
      • Quad Bike Tours
      • Sailing Tours
    • Western Australia
      • Australia's Coral Coast
      • Australia's North West
  • What's On
    • Featured events
    • Weekly Activities
    • Events Calendar
    • Submit an event
    • Solar Eclipse
      • Solar Eclipse Events 2023
  • Plan
    • Travel Tips
    • Travel Itineraries
      • Carnarvon
      • Coral Bay
      • Southern Ningaloo Reef
      • Gascoyne Hinterland
      • Regional Itineraries
    • Destination Guide
    • Maps
    • TV Channel
  • Contact
  • Blog

Email a Friend

Send

Marine Life

SeeandDoMarineLifeCoralBay

SeeandDoMarineLifeCoralBay

Book online

Marine Life of Coral Bay

Coral Bay, The Heart of the Ningaloo Reef

The Ningaloo Marine Park encompasses Australia’s largest and most accessible fringing coral reef system. Many creatures are found in the Marine Park, including whale sharks (the world’s largest fish), turtles, dugongs, dolphins, manta rays and humpback whales. The marine park has been divided into zones to protect the biodiversity of the natural environment, while allowing for recreational and commercial use.

The fringing coral reef is what makes the Coral Bay area so special. Living coral is delicate, with only a thin veneer of living tissue covering the hard coral skeleton. Once damaged, coral often takes many years to grow back.

"I signed up for a 7-hour Best of Ningaloo tour with Ningaloo Marine Interactions expecting to go swimming with manta rays in Coral Bay and experience some super awesome snorkeling on Ningaloo Reef. But the reality of the day was so much more than I could have imagined." REVIEW ON www.thesweetwanderlust.com 

MANTA RAYS

SWIM WITH ME ALL YEAR ROUND

You can swim with manta rays all year round at Coral Bay. Like whale sharks, manta rays are filter feeders and have a large toothless mouth which they use like a sieve to scoop up plankton and krill. Their wingspans measure several metres, enabling them to swim at rapid speeds, occasionally leaping out of the water and landing with a slap. Unlike stingrays, manta rays do not have a sharp barb, making them very safe to swim, snorkel or dive with.

Watch these majestic creatures glide elegantly and effortlessly through the water by joining a tour to swim with Manta Rays at Coral Bay. You may be lucky enough to see a group of males displaying their acrobatic skills, as they compete with each other for a female’s attention.

WHALE SHARKS 

SWIM WITH ME FROM MARCH TO JUNE

Every year, between mid-March and mid-July, these gentle giants of the ocean congregate in the Ningaloo Marine Park following the mass spawning of coral.

In Australia, Ningaloo Reef currently holds the world’s highest interaction rate of whale shark numbers and accessibility -boasting a 97% interaction rate in 2016, 94% rate in 2017 and 97% in 2018.

This means tourists are almost guaranteed to successfully swim with a whale shark. Ningaloo is one of the only places on the planet where these huge but completely harmless fish can be reliably located in large aggregations.

HUMPBACK WHALES

SWIM WITH ME FROM JULY TO NOVEMBER

Humpback Whales appear along the north west coast between the months of July to November. You can see these giants of the ocean on their journey between summer breeding grounds in the North West shelf and winter feeding grounds in the Antarctic. Humpback whales are massive - they can grow up to 19 metres in length and way up to 40 tonnes.

Coral Bay is one of two locations in Western Australia where you experience an in-water interaction with migrating Humpback Whales. Tours run from 1 July to 30 October in Coral Bay, the heart of the Ningaloo Reef.

TURTLES 

Sea turtles can be encountered in Coral Bay all year round and hatchlings may be sighted during turtle nesting season. You can snorkel with them through the beautiful coral gardens of the Ningaloo Marine Park.

Three of the world’s seven marine turtle species, nest on mainland beaches and islands of Ningaloo Reef during the summer months from November to March. 

Manta Rays

Manta Rays

Whale Sharks

Whale Sharks

Humpback Whales

Humpback Whales

Turtles

Turtles

Reef Fish

Reef Fish

Book your experience with a trusted local today

Book Now
  • Home
  • Visitor Info
  • See & Do
  • Stay
  • Play
  • What's on
  • Plan your journey
  • Blog
  • Contact us
  • Corporate
    • Membership
    • TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE 2023

Connect with Us

Newsletter Sign Up

Subscribe Now

logo visitor information centre
Address 21 Robinson St, Carnarvon, WA 6701
Phone (08) 9941 1146
Email info@carnarvon.org.au
BOOKEASY MEMBER LOGIN
  • Disclaimer & Copyright
  • Privacy Statement
  • Sitemap

© 2023 Shire of Carnarvon Powered by Bookeasy, Developed by Impart Media

Subscribe to our Mailing List

It's time to Discover Carnarvon & Coral Bay

* indicates required

Area of Interest