Exmouth (pronounced X-mouth) isn’t much in the way of a town;
it’s more like a truck stop. However, it’s the gateway to Ningaloo Reef, one of
the best places in the world to see aquatic life of all sizes. It rivals its
East Coast counterpart, the Great Barrier Reef. Unlike the GBR, you don’t have
to hop on a boat to see the reef, you can simply walk off the beach and find
yourself immersed in an awesome coral reef. The most notable sight is Turquoise
Bay. It’s about an hour outside the “town” of Exmouth itself, and shouldn’t be
missed. This was some of the best snorkeling we’ve ever done. We saw tons of
coral, fish both large and small, turtles, sting rays, sea snakes, and most
exciting of all… SHARKS!
They were tame reef sharks, that aren’t interested in smelly
humans, so it’s somewhat safe to swim with them, and a huge adrenaline rush. We
encountered three that day, the biggest one being 2 metres/6 Feet! Matt spotted
this one. As he turned around, there it was swimming directly at him like a
heat-seeking missile, but turning at the last moment before impact. As Matt’s
heart was pounding out of his chest, he decided he should swim after it. As he
trailed the shark he remembered, “Oh yeah, these animals could take off a limb
if they so choose.” So he eased away and joined the rest of the group of snorkelers.
Our guide, Ben, had quite the job of wrangling 13 snorkelers
and let’s just say, some were less than okay swimmers, which is sad because
it’s usually the coral reef that pays the price by being kicked and broken by
flailing fins. Remember: coral is a living creature and shouldn’t be touched.
Even your sunscreen can harm the coral while you’re admiring its beauty.
After the group surfaced, only 4 of us chose to swim the
reef again. On our second go, we didn’t find any more sharks, but did see a
blue spotted stingray. That was pretty cool. It was a bit more tricky getting
back to shore, seeing as the tide was going out, leaving less and less water
between us and the razor sharp coral. At some parts, all you could do was hold
your breath, think skinny, and glide over. We all made it our unscathed and
with all our limbs.
After our snorkeling adventures, our sweetheart friend,
Doris, decided to share her special, self-created snack. It was a tuna sandwich
topped with ketchup, mayo (but we didn’t have mayo, so ceasar dressing was substituted),
and finally strawberry jam. What a treat! She created it for when she was in
the mood for a “salty-sweet snack”. This all came about as a World Cup bet, and
because England lost, our UK friend, Amy, agreed she would eat the Tuna
Delight. Matt just ate it anyways, so did a few other girls. It’s quite an
interesting taste when that jam hits the tuna. As everyone was politely admiring
how it was a “very unique taste”, Jo blurted out, “No!” as we all stared at her
with our mouths full, “It tastes like SICK!” She was right. She couldn’t have
been more right. It tasted like sick. This may have been one of the grossest
things Matt has ever put in his mouth. And that’s saying a lot. He’s eaten cow
balls!
Before returning to our hostel, we stopped off at Vlamingh
Head Lighthouse to catch the sunset, and of course take a million pictures.
Then it was back to our hostel for one of Ben’s awesome dinners. We would like
to add that for Matt, eating with a group of girls is awesome. Seeing how Matt
is a human garbage disposal, and most girls aren’t, he usually ended up with
second and third helpings.
After dinner, a German girl, Monika, showed us a trick she
had learned on her travels, The Amazing Human Bicycle! Naturally, the Human
Bicycle was recreated within our group. Even “Look into my Face” girl got into
the act.
This was also our last night with our group. We decided to
hop off our tour and spend a few days seeing what the Ningaloo reef had to
offer. But, nothing would prepare us for the giant surprises that awaited us
deep in the ocean. Before the night ended, and our group of friends continued
up north, Ben was nice enough to share a few bottles of champagne with all of
us, to celebrate our last evening as a group.
But don’t worry, this isn’t
the last you’ll hear of “Look into my Face”, she decided to spend a few days in
Exmouth too. Hurray for us!
