Day 84: Mon 10 Jun 24 - Coral Bay (Ningaloo Reef) - UPDATED WITH MORE PHOTOS

Mon 10 Jun 24 - Coral Bay (Ningaloo Reef)


UPDATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS FROM EMILIE LEDWIDGE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY:
Wow wow wow - what a day. Three swims with a Whale Shark, a close up look at a Sea Snake, a Hammer Head Shark, a Humpback Whale, Dolphins and an incredible array of fish. Swimming with a Whale Shark was never on my bucket list, but a few friends who recently did it convinced me that it's definitely worth doing - and they were right. Late yesterday afternoon I enquired about activities for today at Coral Bay, and I was told there were 6 places available on the Whale Shark Swim today, so I made the most of this opportunity and bought myself a ticket. Noel didn't want to do it because she's not confident snorkelling, less so with the thought of doing it in open water.  

Its been a very long day - awake at 05:30am for a 07:00am meeting and kit up, then taken by bus down to the harbour to board our boat.  Before exiting the reef, we stopped over some coral grounds to test the gear and our snorkelling ability, then a swimming with Whale Sharks brief was provided. We were finally on our way out of the reef at about 1015, heading north. About an hour later a humpback whale was spotted off to the side of the boat, and normally they would have stopped for a look, but it was at the same time that the spotter plane reported a Whale Shark sighting about one hour north of us, so we pushed on. It didn't take long to locate the Whale Shark, and the first group, including myself, entered the water and we swam along side it, for what seemed only a short period of time, but it was still amazing to experience. Group 2 then entered the water for their turn. Only 10 swimmers are allowed in the water at one time.  Overall we entered the water and swam beside the Shark three times, the third time seeming like an eternity. Many people come out to do this whole day activity and return not even seeing a Whale Shark, let alone having three swims with one like we did today. It was very special. 

We eventually ran out of time, and had to turn back to Coral Bay at about 2:30pm. 

Shortly after at about 2:40pm, we stopped to watch a humpback whale from very close range, it even approached the boat and the skipper had to manoeuvre the boat out of its way. On the way back we also spotted a sea snake, a Hammer Head shark and Dolphins which added to the experience. We eventually had lunch at about 3:00pm, surprisingly, I hadn't even thought about eating - until now. A basic chicken, cold meat and salads filled the empty void.   The swell was quite large all day, but thankfully no wind. Visibility in the open sea was incredibly clear, and such a brilliant deep blue colour. Unfortunately a few on the tour succumbed to seasickness which spoiled their experience.   

On the way back, I had a chat with very interesting bloke.  He’s 39 years old and originally from Denmark, lived in Melbourne for 13 years and now lives back in Denmark, travelling the world living the high life. When I asked him how he finances his lavish lifestyle, he explained that he’s a professional poker player, and because he plays for such high stakes, he only needs to play a few times a year, so long as he wins. We eventually arrived back at the harbour at about 5:00pm, and the van shortly before 6:00pm. I'm quite tired, and it's a struggle getting this blog out tonight. I took mostly video footage today and the files are too large to upload, but I purchased some photos from a professional underwater photographer who joined us today, so I'll add a few of them when they come in. Thankfully I was able to capture some memorable video footage of the experience using a Go Pro that I borrowed from Paul for the day. I'll try and upload a few snippets tomorrow after we arrive in Exmouth. 


About to board this vessel for a day on the Ningaloo

Heading out to our coral grounds to check our gear and a practice snorkel

Getting ready to enter the water

Could be anyone, but it is me

Snorkeling Ningaloo

Snorkeling Ningaloo

Snorkeling Ningaloo

Snorkeling Ningaloo

Snorkeling Ningaloo

Snorkeling Ningaloo

Snorkeling Ningaloo

Snorkeling Ningaloo - What we are here to see - Whale Shark. I took mainly video footage, but the files are too large to upload. I'll upload some of the professional shots when they come in.

Swimming with a Whale Shark

Swimming with a Whale Shark


ALL PHOTOS  ABOVE ARE MY WORK. UNFORTUNATELY I CAN'T UPLOAD VIDEO FILES ON BLOGGER. (If interested I can send a couple by Wattsapp - let me know)  

THE PHOTOS ADDED BELOW ARE THE WORK OF EMILIE LEDWIDGE - UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER:

Coral Reef Snorkel

Coral Reef Snorkel

Moi...

Whale Shark Swim


Whale Shark Swim


Whale Shark Swim


Whale Shark Swim


Whale Shark Swim


Sea Snake and Puffer Fish

Sea Snake and Puffer Fish

Sea Snake and a Puffer Fish

Hammerhead Shark

Whale Shark Swim

Whale Shark Swim

Whale Shark Swim

The badly scarred Humpback

The badly scarred Humpback

The badly scarred Humpback















  

Comments

  1. stevenleeJune 11, 2024 at 8:10 AM

    Very good mate . That would be a memory
    never to be forgotten.👌.

    ReplyDelete

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