The Ningaloo Reef is regarded as one of the world's few remaining pristine, fringing coral reefs. Diving
there features hard and soft corals, turtles, stingrays, sharks, colourful reef fish and
lots of interesting terrain with swim-throughs and gulleys.
Depths range from 8 - 18 metres. As a general rule, it is rare to see big schools of fish
here, although there are often big groups of surgeon fish feeding in the shallows and
occasionally divers come across schools of sweetlips, snapper or barracuda.
The best diving here is in the summer months: November to March, when
there is not so much swell on the reef. As most of the dive sites are quite close to the
reef, big swells mean big surge, which at best makes diving fun, but at worst makes it
uncomfortable and dangerous. Big swells also stir up the sandy bottom and reduce
visibility.
It is in this area that whalesharks come to feed between the months of April and July.
From August until mid November, humpback whales are frequently seen, and last
season surprised several groups of divers by cruising past underwater: WOW!
