I expected Coral Bay, just a bit north of the Tropic of Capricorn, to be a glitzy resort town. It is, after all, the entry point to
Ningaloo Reef, one of the newest World Heritage sites and, if you believe
everyone in Western Australia, better than its big sister in Queensland, the
Great Barrier Reef. But Coral Bay,
the town, is 200 meters of sandy street that ends abruptly just past the
hostel, a few shops, five tour operators and two campgrounds, a jewel not yet
“discovered.”
Whale sharks, the big attraction, are just beginning to
arrive. Finding them at this time
of year is hardly a sure thing and definitely a major investment so we decided
to seek more predictable targets. The
resident population of manta rays is thriving. There are too many species of fish on the reef to
identify. Green sea turtles pop
their heads above the waves while bottlenose dolphins splash through the
crystal clear water. Hammerheads
cruise through the shallows while reef sharks line up at “cleaning stations”
where wrasses swim into their gill slits eating parasites and clean bits of
food from the shark’s mouth, undaunted by the sharp teeth. Diving terns appear blue and green as
the turquoise water reflects off their snowy bellies.
We saw it all today on a five-hour snorkeling trip; a
kaleidoscope of flashing neon tropical fish, schools of dolphins, turtles,
sharks and a chance to swim with mantas as they barrel-rolled through clouds of
plankton and coral spawn, their favorite meal. The cost included all gear, snacks, lunch and the use of a
spotter plane, essential to find the mantas.
The boat can hold 34 people but we were only twelve, plus five
crew. A few of the European girls
were getting “green around the gills” despite the relative calm. Kate, the lead swimmer and
photographer, must be part mermaid.
Watching her free dive was almost as fascinating as watching the mantas
and trying to keep up with her as we perused the mantas was next to impossible.
