What are the best things to do in Coral Bay, Western Australia?

The best things to do in Coral Bay, Western Australia, include swimming with whale sharks, snorkelling on the Ningaloo Reef and watching turtles feed at Turtle Cliffs.

Coral Bay, Western Australia, is one of the main access points to the Ningaloo Reef. It’s a small coastal village with a gorgeous white sand beach. Limited development means Coral Bay accommodation such as the Ningaloo Club or Ningaloo Reef Resort is in high demand. In peak season, it books out well in advance and can get expensive.

5 Coral Bay experiences to book before you arrive

Swim with whale sharks – with a dedicated spotter plane for more time in the water with them.
Go on a glass bottom boat cruise – perfect for non-swimmers.
Snorkel with turtles – on a boat tour that visits two top snorkelling sites.
Swim with humpback whales – they visit between June and October.
Swim with manta rays – available most of the year, with lunch & snorkelling gear included.

Things to do in Coral Bay, Western Australia: Ningaloo Reef tours

The best things to do in Coral Bay all involve the Ningaloo Marine Park, and there are several operators that will happily take you out there.

Coral Bay Eco Tours is among the tour companies that will take you swimming with whale sharks during the Ningaloo whale shark season. That’s between March and June in Coral Bay. The company also offers one hour-long coral reef viewing tours in a glass-bottomed boat

Ningaloo Marine Interactions, meanwhile, runs full day tours out on the reef focusing on the other aquatic wildlife. This includes coral gardens and dugongs if you’re lucky, but the main focus is on the manta rays. Manta rays hang out at Coral Bay in large numbers, enjoying the protection of the reef just above the Tropic of Capricorn.

Things to do in Coral Bay: Swimming with whales

It’s also possible to swim with humpback whales on the Ningaloo Reef. The whale-swimming tours take place between July and September, with Ningaloo Reef Dive among the operators running them from Coral Bay.

You don’t necessarily need to book a tour to go snorkelling, however. You can see fantastic underwater scenes just off shore at Purdy Point and the southern end of Bills Bay. You can also go drift snorkelling at neighbouring Paradise Beach. Five Finger Reef is another excellent snorkelling spot.

Other things to do in Coral Bay, Western Australia, include quad biking. Coral Coast Tours runs two hour tours on quad bikes that stop at lesser-visited beaches. They also visit the Turtle Cliffs, where you can see turtles feeding in the water below.

Coral Bay is the Ningaloo alternative to Exmouth. It has the advantage of being closer to Perth, but it is further away from Learmonth Airport. The drive from Carnarvon to Coral Bay is 238km long, and it’s another 153km from Coral Bay to Exmouth. There are a few shops in Coral Bay, including a fairly small supermarket.

Best Coral Bay accommodation

The best Coral Bay accommodation options are…

For budget travellers: Coral Bay Backpackers.
For overall quality: Ningaloo Reef Resort.

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Ningaloo Reef snorkelling things to do Western Australia