Australia’s 50 Great Dives index

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NINGALOO WHALE SHARKS

Exmouth, North West Cape, Western Australia

Type of dive:

Animal interaction

Snorkelling:

Yes, phenomenal!

Scuba:

No, snorkelling only

Access:

Boat only (Full day experience)

Depth:

Varies, interactions are surface based

Visibility:

5 – 18 metres (15-60’)

Water temperature:

24 – 28°C (75-83°F)

Seasonal:

Yes, March to October (April & May best)

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the oceans, only some species of whale are bigger!

Whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, the largest non-mammalian vertebrates, are filter feeders.

They feed on small marine organisms such as krill and plankton, plankton is the main component of their diet.

Individuals average over nine metres (30’) in length and can weigh up to nine tonne (10 tn), the largest recorded was 12.65 metres (41.5’) long.

They have been known to live some 70 years.

These large, long-living, slow-moving pelagic fish inhabit the world’s warmer tropical and sub-temperate open seas.

Whale sharks have been exploited by many cultures and are classified as a threatened species. In 2003 whale sharks were added to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in an effort to regulate international trade of whale shark product.

Western Australia’s World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef is one of the most accessible places in the world where humans can interact with whale sharks.

Ningaloo Reef is one of the world’s biggest fringing coral reefs and is around 300 kilometres (185 mi) long.

Ningaloo Reef runs just a few metres off shore and offers great easily accessible snorkelling where snorkellers can experience an infinite number of dive sites and take in the abundant diverse tropical marine life on offer.

Whale sharks are docile and non-threatening, and diving with these magnificent gentle giants of the deep is absolutely exhilarating.

The start of the Ningaloo Whale Shark season coincides with the annual March/April coral spawning season and runs for around four months.

As well as the whale sharks, divers will experience lots of fish, turtles and reef sharks, and dugongs are regularly sighted.

Encounters with humpback whales and mantra rays are not uncommon in the latter half of the whale shark season.

A whale shark experience is an absolute must for any underwater adventurer.

Special thanks to Simon Buckingham of Three Islands Whale Shark Dive.
Copyright © 2024 Steve Sinclair

OTHER GREAT AUSTRALIAN ANIMAL DIVES
Humpback Whales, Giant Cuttlefish, Great White Sharks, Burrunan Dolphins, Montague Island Seals, Tollgate Shark Gutter, Mantra Bommie, Dwarf Minke Whales, Cod Hole, North Horn Shark Feed and Raine Island Turtles.

2026 GREAT AUSTRALIAN DIVE CHALLENGE
Dive Registration
To register this dive for validation, go to: www.50greatdives.com.
NOTE: Entrants should do this dive with one of the following preferred dive services.

DIVE SERVICES

EXMOUTH DIVE & WHALESHARK NINGALOO
Kennedy Street
Exmouth WA 6707
+ 61 (8) 9949 1201
bookings@exmouthdiving.com.au
www.exmouthdiving.com.au

THREE ISLANDS WHALE SHARK DIVE
7 Carpenter Street
Exmouth WA 6707
+61 1800 138 501
info@whalesharkdive.com
www.whalesharkdive.com

SPECIAL OFFER: 10% off any tour from August to mid-October
To redeem: Email info@whalesharkdive.com & quote 50 Great Dives

NINGALOO MARINE INTERACTIONS
Coral Bay Shopping Arcade,
Shop 13 Robinson St,
Coral Bay WA 6701
+61 (8) 9467 7968
mantaraycoralbay@gmail.com
www.ningaloomarineinteractions.com.au

MONTEBELLO SAFARIS
PO Box 388
Exmouth Western Australia 6707
+61 (0) 419 091 670
admin@montebello.com.au
www.montebello.com.au

OTHER SERVICES

Need somewhere to eat, drink or stay?
POT SHOT HOTEL RESORT
561 Murat Road
Exmouth WA 6707
+61 (8) 9949 1200
reception@potshotresort.com
www.potshotresort.com