I can honestly say I have rarely used the words swimming and sharks in the same sentence. Living over four hours drive from the ocean, I see it infrequently and have even less desire to swim, or even contemplate being, in the same water as a shark.
So what possessed me to change my trusted approach/policy when I reached Western Australia?
After enjoying three adventure-filled days in Karijini National Park in remote north-east Western Australia, our tour hit the road again. Yes, in the dreaded mini-bus.
It was time to head West for a healthy dose of salty air and sea breezes. Nearly 8hours later we pulled into Exmouth, raided the supermarket and bottle store, before heading a further 34km down the coast to our camping spot only spitting distance from Ningaloo Reef.
Ningaloo Reef is an outstanding snorkeling and diving destination. The Reef itself is classified as a national park and is protected as a World Heritage Area and marine sanctuary. It stretches for 240km down the Coral Coast providing habitat to a vast array of marine life including dugongs, sea turtles, manta rays and whale sharks.
Similar to our time in Karijini, we had a number of day hikes planned, but we also had the option of spending a day out on Ningaloo Reef AND swimming with the whale sharks. Neither whales nor sharks make overly appealing swimming companions, but we signed up based on the assumption that surely a tourism business would not offer an experience where there is a high chance of losing a limb or your life!?
Our tour company, one of the eight different tour companies licenced to operate on the Reef, was 3 Islands Whale Shark Dive. They offered a full day, all-inclusive experience, including transport to and from the jetty. I have to admit that it was a nice change to simply switch off the brain and not have to plan or organise a thing.
Promptly on the dot of 8am, the bubbly Georgia and Gabby collected us in yet another minibus (I think I am scarred for life!) and we made the very short trip to Tantabiddi jetty. It was a hive of activity with busloads of excited visitors, just like us, queued to hop into their shuttle dinghy to head out to their specific tour boat. Apparently there are 12 tour boats that are licenced to access the reef, plus five spotter planes in the air. Yes, a real hive of activity.
There were about 20 of us on the ‘Draw Card’ and we all had to jostle for space as we hopped about on one foot and dragged on our fashion-statement stinger suits, goggles, flippers and a snorkel. I am not sure why we needed the suits as there were no stingers in the water, but the upside was that the suit did hide a multitude of sins underneath! J
The tour staff were excellent, just so warm and friendly. They gave us an extensive safety briefing and had a fabulous sense of fun. They obviously enjoy their work and have the best office in the World! They shared plenty of information about the best ways to stay safe, stay away from the sharks and at the same time, get a great view.
Whale sharks aren’t actually sharks, but are the largest fish species known to man. The female whale sharks can grow up to 15 m in length with their mouths over two metres wide containing 300 rows of tiny teeth to filter their food.
It is interesting that the scientists and marine biologists actually know very little about the whale sharks. They really don’t know how many visit these waters each year or where they go when they are not on the Coral Coast. It is estimated that around 400 whale sharks visit each season and the bigger mystery is where they will be found on any one day.
After a quick snorkel in the inner reef, our plane radioed our ship’s captain advising that the sharks had taken up residence for the day further down the Coral Coast. Through a gap in the reef we left the protected waters and motored South. The 28km boat ride, in and over choppy waters with quite a swell, did not agree with some of our fellow mariners and they lost their delicious morning tea over the side of the boat. Apologies – too much information.
Getting ready to swim with whale sharks on Ningaloo Reef 
Almost in the water… 
Does this look like a scene out of Jaws?
Finally we arrived at the location identified by our spotter plane and we quickly mustered into two groups and readied ourselves to jump in the water. I am not afraid to admit to a slightly elevated heartrate and a couple of brief moments wondering what the hell I was doing. All that water and the chance of sharks!
Get in! Get in! Get in!
Line up! Line up! Line up!
We did what we had been trained to do and when Gabby yelled “LOOK DOWN”, I nearly choked on my snorkel as a MASSIVE whale shark swam by! It was all over in a split second and I was disappointed not to have taken in more. I didn’t know what to expect or what to look for and I felt I had missed so much.
The boat picked us up and we rested while Group 2 had their chance. Quickly it was our turn again and I was determined to do better…
Line up! Line up! Line up!
LOOK DOWN!
Not only did I look down, but I decided to swim alongside the whale this time. The sheer power and grace of the animal left me speechless. Its spots seemed to dance and sparkle in the filtered light and it was fascinating to see all the small fish attached to the shark, catching a free ride. Other fish swam very close underneath the whale shark, making the most of the protection provided by its bulk.
The husband swims… 
The husband is impressed. The whale shark less so
We enjoyed three swims with our whale shark before turning around to motor back to the protected waters of the inner reef. Apparently some lucky visitors get five or more swims, but we had lost so much time traveling to find them in the first place and our shark kept diving deep down into the green depths, that we were unable to spend more time in the water. Obviously the sharks didn’t want to swim with us as much as we wanted to swim with them.
A happy blogger… 
For me, a real highlight of the day was the snorkelling. We anchored in two different parts of the reef and I was blown away by the colour, diversity, and number of fish and other sea creatures. I goggled at the brightest, most colourful and busy fish, whip rays, sea cucumbers, angelfish, cuttlefish and sea turtles. Spotting a reef shark, I almost swallowed my snorkel and backstroked so fast that I broke an Olympic record getting back to the boat. Having said that, I could still be there bobbing about in the water, oohing and ahhing at the variety of sea life.
All too soon it was time to return to the jetty and our short bus ride back to camp. The salt on my skin felt good. I was tired and very happy. I had overcome a misgiving or two, given the old comfort zone a nudge and loved every second of it.
Don’t miss your chance to swim with whale sharks!
Have you ever done something that defies logic?
The Basics
What: I am not on a commission or anything, but I can highly recommend Three Islands Wave Shark Dive. The staff were fabulous and the food, especially the glass of bubbles at the end of the day, was first rate.
Where: Find them at their office in Exmouth, 1 Kennedy St.
When: Whale shark season is from late March to early August. The worst of the heat and wet season is over by then.
Why: Apologies for the cliché, but this is absolutely a Bucket List activity.
How: Book online or in person. It’s a fully inclusive day out and they will collect you from your accommodation.
Who: You don’t need to be a strong swimmer, but you do need to be confident in the water. They have noodles and life jackets for additional support
Related Posts: For a completely different swim, don’t miss quick dip at Karijini’s Dales Gorge.
Related Blogs: What about becoming a marine biologist for a day and volunteer out on a reef?
Read About It: One for the kids today, the gorgeous picture book – The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson. Go straight to Book Depository.
#ningaloo #ningalooreef #travelinspo #westernaustralia #exmouth #whalesharks #bucketlist #swimmingwithsharks #snorkelling #outbackaustralia #indigenoushistory #coralcoast #oceanadventures #marinelife
Life...one big adventure 
Well, that sounds quite an experience. But I don’t feel convinced about being totally under water, whatever positive things are happening there. I’ll stick with David Attenborough! Well done, though.
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I hear you! There is a whole lot of water out there and you don’t really know what is in it! I am a pretty good swimmer so I figured I could out-swim some of the people in our group if there was something chasing us!! 🙂
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I see … so they won’t still be hungry by the time they reach you 😉 !
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Method in my madness! 😉
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😉
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Your wonderful article, exuberance and joy ensures that this is now on my list of things to do! Before I would never have considered anything like this but your experience sounds incredible and I can feel how utterly beguiling time you all had! I had to smile that the whale sharks weren’t as enamoured with swimming with you all as you were with them! They’re probably thinking ‘not again’! I loved the soft shark for demonstration purposes! Very cute!
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Thank you so much for your kind words. If I lived closer to the ocean I would definitely do more snorkeling etc. It really is a whole other world down there.
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Well done Mel. I am terrified of deep water and the idea of being in the water with this beautiful creature scares me to death. Louise
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My apologies. Maybe I need to put a horror warning at the start of my posts?! No doubt you are far more comfortable on mountain tops!
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Ironically beaches are my favourite and mountains a new found love. Aspects of that scare me death too.
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The best of both worlds! And sometimes it is good to shake things up a little.
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You’ve got more guts than me!
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What is that old saying about God looking after drunks and fools?? Maybe he/she was on my side that day. 🙂
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You are so brave! What an awesome story! I loved all your photos, but these made smile the biggest – ‘A happy blogger’, ‘the husband impressed. The whale shark less so.’ And ‘Georgia explains the technical aspects of swimming with whale sharks’. Looks like so much fun.
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It was tonnes of fun and I felt really safe the whole time….except when I spotted the reef shark! The crew on the boat were so professional and checked in with everyone all the time. Sometimes it is really worthwhile to step outside the ol’ comfort zone.
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Wow, what an experience! I would love to do it but you lost me at ‘jump in’. I enjoy snorkelling once I’m in the water but I feel the need to lower myself in gently as I hate to get water in the tube! Somehow I can never get it out – I know I’m supposed to blow but I just don’t have enough puff 😆
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Too funny! I never thought of that as a problem. Not sure that this would be an ideal activity for you as you do need to move quickly and the waves did swamp every now and then. You would love the snorkeling in the more protected waters of the reef and the water was so warm. I wish I was back there now.
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Wow Mel, that must have been quite an experience!! And such beautiful photo’s of “your” sharks … although, it seems, they did not really want to be pictured 😉. My husband is green with envy (he would love to do this), but I’m just happy to look at your amazing photo’s!
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You can ride along in the boat and toast us with your champagne glass!
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Wow! What an experience. I’m not fond of water, especially putting my head underneath it so this is something I would never do. Like Margaret I’ll stick to watching the Blue Planet series!
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Fair enough! I guess that is what makes travel so interesting – some things appeal to some people and others not. Those photos/blogs of people being pampered at spas and retreats leave me cold. I couldn’t think of anything worse!
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Don’t get me wrong, I would love to do this, but just can’t! Which is why it is nice to read blogs like yours. Likewise about spas/retreats or all inclusive resorts. Although after the last 20 months sitting by a swimming pool with an ice cold beer wouldn’t be too bad!
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Yes, I’m with you. Even being able to drive to the supermarket is an adventure and a privilege at the moment!! 🙂
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A great post. Very informative, written with humour and you photos tell a story in their own right. I look forward to being able to travel back to Western Australia. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks for your lovely feedback and thanks for reading. I think we would all like to travel back to WA one day…but who knows when that will be!?
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What a great experience. Mother natures undersea world is so amazing!
Lovely post!
Cheers!
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Thanks so much and that is high praise coming from you in the wonderful wilds of South America! 🙂
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I very much enjoyed this post. Swimming with whale sharks is an awesome experience. A couple of years ago I had that experience at Oslob on Cebu in the Philippines. The set up was different as boats were chumming krill to keep the fish near the surface.
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Maybe that is where our whale sharks go in the off season? Especially if they know they are going to be fed krill. That’s clever. Thanks for reading and following the adventure.
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What an adventurer! Bravo!!!
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Thank you. I am very good at adventure when someone else does all the organising and gives me beer at the end of the day! 😉
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First I was admiring your hiking skills and endurance, now as you add swimming with sharks to your CV I find myself totally in awe of your capabilities and fearlessness. As a bad swimmer and one who, even if I were a good swimmer, couldn’t contemplate for a minute swimming with sharks, whales or any large mammal – they could knock me over! – I could not contemplate this for one minute. But what a great post it makes. Congrats. and keep ’em coming!
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Thanks so much for your kind words. I am nothing special and a pretty daggy adventurer, but just love setting myself a challenge or two! 🙂
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There are challenges and then there are damn fool risky challenges!
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Too funny!
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Well done! In Jamaica we swam with sting rays and nurse sharks. I was a little nervous, but like you I figured that if it were overly dangerous, it wouldn’t be on offer.
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I just love the effortless grace of marine life. They slip through the water with a flip of a fin and I am in awe.
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Have you seen My Octopus Teacher on Netflix? I think you’d love it. It’s fabulous (bring tissues).
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No, I haven’t seen that, but so many people have raved about it, I must make the time to watch it. I have such a short attention span for TV these days. Thanks for the reminder
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You won’t regret it.
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They are forecasting a wet day on Saturday. This sounds like perfect viewing.
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Wow! Your are a brave swimmer in the ocean with sharks nearby.butvit did seem like a great adventure.
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In reality, the risk of death or injury was probably very low, but it makes for a colourful story! 🙂
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🥰
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Wow, I was a little worried when I started reading this until I saw that they are not really sharks and have very small teeth. Whew! Great underwater shots.
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Thanks for the feedback. I can’t take credit for the photos though …I was too busy choking on my snorkel! 🙂
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😄
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You’re braver than I am, but it made for a good read – and some fabulous photographs
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Such a memorable day out and even more memorable since a man disappeared only 50m from the WA coastline on Saturday. Obviously one of the local sharks did not like the look of him!
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Crikey!
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🙂
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This is such an amazing adventure Mel! Way to stretch yourself. I’ve always wanted to do this. I think the closest spot for us is near Cancun in Mexico. Some day. thanks for sharing your experience. 😊😊
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My pleasure. It seems like such a dim, dark memory now, but your comment has made me recall just how special it was.
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Wow! It’s amazing!
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It certainly is!
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