Are there crocodiles on the Ningaloo Reef?

The chances of seeing crocodiles on the Ningaloo Reef are tiny if not totally impossible. Saltarwat crocodiles generally don’t come this far south in Western Australia.

The Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is best known as being home to the biggest fish on earth. It is one of the few places on the planet where you can swim with whale sharks.

But visitors to the Ningaloo Reef might be worried about encountering not-so-gentle giants while swimming. After all, the Ningaloo is quite far north. Is it far enough north to be in crocodile territory?

Is the Ningaloo Reef in crocodile territory?

8 amazing Exmouth experiences to book in advance.

Swim with whale sharks – using a spotter plane for maximum shark snorkelling time. This is an experience you’ll genuinely remember forever.
Ningaloo wildlife adventure – see much more than just the whale sharks.
Full day kayaking tour – stopping to snorkel at parts of the reef the boats can’t reach.
Sunset cruise – with dolphin-spotting, snacks and drinks.
Cape Range trekking adventure.
Dive on the Ningaloo Reef.
Swim with humpback whales – they come after whale shark season is over.
Kayak and snorkel with turtles.

Where is Western Australia’s crocodile territory?

This is a tricky question to answer, because unlike Queensland, Western Australia doesn’t have a standard definition of where Croc Country is. Broome is generally accepted to be crocodile habitat, with anywhere south of that a little hazy.

Various web sources, however, will point at Onslow and Carnarvon as the southern boundaries of WA’s croc territory.

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.

How far south do crocodiles come in Western Australia?

Use a bit of logic, then transpose Queensland’s Croc Country to the west coast, and Carnarvon makes sense. Queensland’s dividing line is the Boyne River near Gladstone, which is at roughly the same latitude as Carnarvon.

Given the Ningaloo Reef is north of Carnarvon, you can’t absolutely discount the possibility of there being crocodiles present.

Ningaloo Reef crocodile sightings

You can, however, look at how often crocodiles have been seen on the Ningaloo Reef. And that is very, very rarely. The last confirmed sighting was at Coral Bay in 2009, and that was the first sighting for a decade.

It’s also worth stating that crocodiles don’t like reefs. The water is too clear and they are too easily spotted. Their preferred habitat is murky creeks, rivers and lakes where they can hide and wait for prey.

So, are there crocodiles on the Ningaloo Reef? In theory, yes. In practice, almost certainly not.

Whether using Coral Bay or Exmouth as your base, you can be reasonably confident crocodiles won’t be present when you’re swimming with humpback whales, snorkelling with turtles or ticking the whale sharks off your bucket list.