A sunny, blue sky greets us this morning! A day of snorkeling awaits. Turquoise Bay is reputedly the best snorkeling area in the park and it certainly lives up to its name; the water is oh so beautifully turquoise blue and the sand oh so white. And, as befits the best, it attracts a host of people including groups on commercial trips! Coral only a few metres out from the beach is home to myriad colourful fish! All the colours of the rainbow are represented in this tropical fish tank, vivid greens, electric blue, vibrant yellows, pinks and reds. Fish with beautiful patterns, dots and stripes, if only we could identify them all! Now, under the shimmering sun, the sublime beauty of Ningaloo Reef, this well-kept secret of
Western Australia, really comes into its own! So accessible – and teeming with life – forget the Great Barrier Reef, with its expensive tours, commercialization and, in our experience, disappointing reef – for sheer natural beauty this has got to be hard to beat.
Oyster Stacks is another excellent snorkeling site just a little further along the coast. It’s rocky makes it a bit more difficult to get into the water , but there is a tidal current to carry you effortlessly over the coral and when you’ve drifted far enough you can out on the sandy beach further along and walk back. If anything, there is a more and greater variety of fish at this spot than Turquoise Bay, but the water isn’t quite so picturesquely turquoise blue.
We plan to finish off the day with a bit more snorkeling at Lakeside, but by the time we get back the tide is out and the wind up making it a bit too choppy and shallow. We will try again tomorrow. As we stroll along the beach in the evening light we stop to chat with our host, Marg, who is on her way back to camp. She has hurriedly retreated from the water after coming face to face with a Tiger shark, which whilst not supposed to be aggressive can be just a little intimidating when you are swimming on your own!
Now is the season for Whale Sharks, which are the largest fish in the world. For those with $350 to (175 pounds) to spare it is possible to take a trip from Exmouth to swim with these enormous, but harmless creatures. It is an amazing experience, according to everyone we have spoken to. Tempting!