THE VARIED WONDERS OF NINGALOO REEF

The annual whale shark migration at Ningaloo Reef has definitely put this area off Western Australia on every divers must do list. However, this large reef system offers divers a great deal more than just encounters with giant sharks.
    The Ningaloo Reef Marine Park is one of the riches marine environments off Australia and stretches over 260km along the rugged desert coastline of North West Cape. Diving Ningaloo Reef is possible from both Coral Bay at the southern end of the reef and Exmouth in the north, however Exmouth gives you access to a wider variety of dive sites.
    Exmouth is a sleepy little town, which was better known as a US Naval Communication Base. With a warm year round climate and the Ningaloo Reef on its doorstep, tourism is now the lifeblood of Exmouth.
    One thing that makes Ningaloo Reef special as a dive destination is the wide variety of marine environments you can experience in the area. There are pretty reef dives on Ningaloo Reef and around the Muiron Islands, but divers can also enjoy ‘muck’ dives in the Exmouth Gulf and a mixture of reef and ‘muck’ in Lighthouse Bay, or experience one of the best artificial reefs in the world, the Navy Pier.

NINGALOO REEF
There are many excellent dive sites along the main section of the Ningaloo Reef, and the one thing they all have in common is abundant fish life. Over 500 species of fish have been identified in the area. As the reef is close to the coast all dives are done as day trips. Most of the dive sites off Ningaloo Reef are 12m to 25m deep, giving you plenty of bottom time to enjoy the reef.
    One of our favourite dives is Central Station, a lovely section of reef dropping from 10m to 17m. The coral cover is pretty, with some nice soft corals and gorgonians, especially on the coral bommies that rise from the sand. These bommies are cut with numerous ledges where tasselled wobbegongs and white tip reef sharks can be seen resting.
    During the dive we encountered two large loggerhead turtles and found a wealth of invertebrate species, including numerous cleaner shrimp servicing the reef fish. However, it was the fish life that most impressed. All the typical reef fish families are well represented with abundant butterflyfish, angelfish, triggerfish, parrotfish, surgeonfish, wrasse, sweetlips, triggerfish, damsels, gobies, blennies, rock cod, goatfish, boxfish, pufferfish, snapper, lionfish, moray eels and several species of anemonefish. Ningaloo Reef also supports large numbers of pelagic fish, we encountered schools of trevally, batfish, mackerel and fusiliers.
    Other species divers are likely to encounter along Ningaloo Reef are gropers, manta rays, stingrays, eagle rays, sea snakes, grey reef sharks, green turtles, hawksbill turtles and schooling barracuda.

LIGHTHOUSE BAY
Lighthouse Bay is located at the tip of North West Cape and the dive sites found here are best described as ‘muck like’. The bay has a sandy bottom that is dotted with numerous limestone ridges and overhangs, and at places has a good coverage of coral. One of the most popular dive sites here is Blizzard Ridge, where a ridge of limestone drops from 12m to 14m.
    At Blizzard Ridge there is very little coral to be seen, just amazing amounts of marine life. Swarming above the reef we encountered trevally, batfish, barracuda, sweetlip, stripey snapper and surgeonfish. While on the ridge and under the ledge were cardinalfish, angelfish, lionfish, moray eels, squirrelfish, butterflyfish, lizardfish, gobies, hawkfish, and numerous rock cod.
    One of the most unusual fish divers will encounter in Lighthouse Bay is the sailfin catfish. These black coloured catfish seem to be under every ledge and if you dig your fingers in the sand they will come out to investigate. A torch is highly recommended to spot all the critters that live under the ledge; including tasselled wobbegongs, mantis shrimps, flatworms, octopus, sea stars, featherstars, crabs, shrimps and a variety of nudibranch species.
    At almost any of the dive sites in Lighthouse Bay you will also see white tip reef sharks, stingrays, turtles, sea snakes and even manta rays come to the cleaning stations for a service.

MUIRON ISLANDS
North and South Muiron Island are located north of North West Cape and are actually outside the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park. The islands are an important turtle nesting site and as such turtles are common on most dives. But divers may also see potato cod, reef sharks, manta rays, dolphins and even rare dugongs. One of the features of the Muiron Islands are the very rich coral gardens in depths from 8m to 20m.
    Fraggale Rock is a wonderful dive site off South Muiron Island. The jagged reef here is only 14m deep and riddled with ledges and caves. Covering the reef are a wonderful variety of hard corals, soft corals, sponges, ascidians, anemones, sea whips and gorgonians. Invertebrate species abound; clams, hermit crabs, nudibranchs, sea stars, mantis shrimps, crayfish, flatworms, octopus and many of the ledges are lined with cleaner shrimps.
    The fish life is similar and just as rich as Ningaloo Reef. We also encountered a large leopard moray eel and a huge Queensland groper. Stingrays were common, including blue spotted lagoon rays sheltering under ledges and enormous black blotched stingrays.

EXM OUTH GULF
True ‘muck’ diving can be experienced in the Exmouth Gulf, where incredible sponge gardens packed with fish and invertebrate species are found in depths to 22m. The Exmouth Gulf is very tidal and experiences low visibility, so is rarely dived by the Exmouth dive operators unless specially requested. However, there is one dive site in the Exmouth Gulf that is dived daily and has become the most famous dive site in the area, the Navy Pier.
    Built in the 1960s to service the nearby top secret US Naval Communication Base, the pier was off limits until the base was taken over by the Australian Government. While access to the Navy Pier is still limited, Exmouth Diving Centre have permission to take small groups of divers for day and night dives.
    The Navy Pier is only 200m long and is nothing special to look at, however gathered under the pier is one of the most outstanding collections of marine life you will ever experience in one dive.
    As soon as you jump in the water you are surrounded by fish, schools of trevally and barracuda swarm around. Milling around the pylons are thousands of lined sweetlip and yellowtail snapper. Moving from pylon to pylon you will see all the typical reef fish and a wide range of invertebrate species, plus many unexpected surprises.
    Estuary and Queensland gropers can be seen lying on the sandy bottom next to white tip reef sharks and tasselled wobbegongs. Also keep an eye out for crocodilefish, anglerfish, stonefish, northern frogfish and the very rare northern wobbegong. At the end of our dive here we encountered two very strange bearded fish, which were later identified as bearded velvetfish, and the first time the species had ever been photographed alive!

WHALE SHARKS
The whale sharks that gather at Ningaloo Reef have been a major tourist attraction since the early 1990s. It is now known that they gather at Ningaloo Reef to feed, attracted by the thick soup of plankton associated with the annual coral spawning in March. Whale sharks are seen from March to July, with the best time to view them is April to June. Most of the whale sharks seen at Ningaloo Reef are immature males less than 10m long.
    A day out with the whale sharks is a thrilling and exhausting experience. After a shark has been sighted by a spotter plane, you quickly get to the back of the boat in snorkelling gear. When the boat is in front of the sharks it’s go, go, go! You jump into the water and pump your legs as fast as you can, waiting for the giant shark to come into view. Suddenly you see it, a huge dark shape with a wide mouth slowing moving straight towards you. Next you find yourself finning madly to get out of its way!
    Sometimes the sharks move slowly, sometimes fast, other times they just stop. If they are moving then you will find yourself finning very hard to keep up. Photographing the huge sharks is quite a challenge, you not only have to frame the shark, but also avoid other snorkellers. But as exhausting as it is, it is one day you will remember forever.

CAPE RANG E NATIONAL PARK
If you find that diving doesn’t take up all your time while in Exmouth there is one other major attraction in the area, the spectacular Cape Range National Park. The Cape Range runs down the middle of North West Cape rising 300m above the surrounding desert. A tour into the range will reveal incredible rock formations and canyons that were once under the sea, marine fossils and maybe some of the local wildlife like emus and kangaroos. Ningaloo Reef and Cape Range are currently being proposed for World Heritage listing to full protect these unique environments for future generations to enjoy.

WHALE SHARK REGULATIONS
Snorkeller interaction with the whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef is tightly controlled to protect these gentle giants. Each of the whale shark operators are licensed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management and must follow strict guidelines.
 Only ten people are allowed in the water with a shark, a guide and nine customers, and you must stay 3m away from the shark’s body and 4m away from the tail. No flash photography is allowed, and also no swimming in front, over or under the shark is permitted, as it has been found to frighten the sharks and make them dive. No one is allow too touch the whale shark, and if you find the shark swimming towards you it is up to you to get out of its way.
 Several of the charter boats will sometimes share a shark, with each taking turns to drop their group of snorkellers on the shark. When this happens you might only get five to ten minutes with the shark before it is the next groups turn. This may not sound like much, but after ten minutes of hard snorkelling you will need a break. Some days you might get a dozen drops on several different sharks, other days it might be only a few on one shark, but if no sharks are seen the operators generally allow you to come out again, free of charge, until you see a whale shark.
 Speaking to Brad Norman, a biologist who has been studying whale sharks for the past decade, he believes the regulations work extremely well, as the sharks show little interest in the snorkellers and keep coming back year after year.

NINGALOO REEF BEARINGS
Getting There
Skywest Airlines – www.skywest.com.au - have daily flights from Perth to Learmouth Airport, 35km south of Exmouth. There is a shuttle bus that meets every flight and will drop you at your accommodation. Perth, the capital of Western Australia, is located 1300km south of Exmouth, and regularly serviced by domestic flights in Australia on Qantas – www.qantas.com.au - and Virgin Blue – www.virginblue.com.au, and on international flights from most Asian cities.

Entry Requirements
Nationals from all countries, except New Zealand, require a visa for entry to Australia. No visa on arrival is possible, so please contact the Australian Consular Office in your nearest capital city for details.

Best Time To Dive
Anytime of the year can be good at Ningaloo Reef, but strong summer winds can restrict offshore diving and cyclones can be experienced in February and March. Water temperature varies from summer highs of 28C to lows of 20C over winter. Visibility averages 12m to 15m, as these reefs are close to shore, but 20m to 30m visibility is common over winter when the conditions are calmer.

Language
English, however many of the dive shops in Exmouth employ dive instructors from Asia and Europe.

Climate
Exmouth is surrounded by desert and is dry and warm throughout the year. Daytime temperatures vary from 25C to 38C, while the overnight temperatures vary from 12C to 25C.

Currency
Australian Dollar, approximately $US1 equals $A1.25.

Electricity
220v, 3 pin connector.

Accommodation
A wide range of accommodation is on offer at Exmouth, visit www.exmouthwa.com for details.

Dive Operator
Exmouth Diving Centre - www.exmouthdive.com

Article appeared in Asian Diver Magazine No.91 June/July 2007