Ningaloo Reef · Australia · Reef · Lagoon
Coral Bay
Shore-entry reef with a spring nursery of young tiger sharks
Photo: Simonverhamme · CC BY-SA 4.0
The southern gateway to Ningaloo, where the reef comes close enough to town that the swim starts on the beach. Bill's Bay is a placid lagoon seldom deeper than 10 metres with light currents, closed to boats apart from glass-bottomed sightseeing craft, and turtles, dolphins, manta rays and reef sharks all work the same shallow ground. In spring, dozens of young tiger sharks gather at its northern end.
Where it is and how deep
23.1350° S, 113.7800° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The water here starts at the town beach: Coral Beach is a walk-in entry straight off the sand into Bill's Bay, a placid lagoon where the water is seldom deeper than 10 metres, the currents are light and what movement there is amounts to a gentle onshore drift. It is a green zone, closed to boats apart from glass-bottomed sightseeing craft, and it is bright, shallow ground that rewards a long slow swim rather than a deep profile — a good deal of it works as well on a snorkel as on a tank.
Five Fingers Reef, about 5 kilometres south of town, is the more structured dive of the two: a row of coral-built ridges standing just underwater and running perpendicular out from the shore, so you follow one ridge out and come back along the next rather than tracing a single reef line. Getting there is the work — a real 4WD, or a walk of one to two hours each way from town.
What swims past is the reason people come. Turtles, dolphins, manta rays and reef sharks all use this end of the reef, and reef sharks, stingrays and turtles are the standing cast out at Five Fingers Reef. The north end of Bill's Bay, known as Skeleton Bay, holds a nursery of dozens of young tiger sharks in spring, from November to January, visible in the shallows at high tide, which makes it a seasonal concentration rather than a chance encounter.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Dolphins
- Manta rays
- Reef sharks
- Stingrays
- Tiger sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Ningaloo Reef: Whale sharks aggregate mid-Mar–Jul after coral spawning; humpback whales pass close to the reef Jul–Oct; manta rays are present year-round.
Know before you go
- The onshore drift is gentle but constant, so enter upstream of where you want to come out and let it carry you back instead of swimming into it.
- Five Fingers Reef is 5 km south of town and needs a real 4WD or a walk of one to two hours each way, so plan the return leg, the heat and the kit before you commit to it.
Photos from Coral Bay
Ryan McMinds / Joe Pollock · CC BY 2.0
Dinkum · CC0
Ryan McMinds / Joe Pollock · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Go Pro Scuba Diving Coral Bay Western Australia · Dave Jackson on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the diving at Coral Bay?+
Shallow. Bill's Bay is seldom deeper than 10 metres and the currents are light, which is why so much of the area is worked on snorkel as well as on scuba.
When can you see the tiger sharks at Coral Bay?+
In spring, from November to January, the north end of Bill's Bay, known as Skeleton Bay, holds a nursery of dozens of young tiger sharks, seen in the shallows at high tide.
How do you get to Five Fingers Reef?+
It lies about 5 kilometres south of town and needs a real 4WD to drive to. On foot it is a walk of one to two hours each way, which makes it a committing option with dive kit.
Sources
- Coral Bay — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A green sea turtle glides just under the surface at Coral Bay. by Simonverhamme, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Close-up of orange plate coral polyps and colony edge in Bill's Bay. by Ryan McMinds / Joe Pollock, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Sunset clouds over the sand and water at Coral Beach. by Dinkum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Macro view of brown plate and finger coral on Ningaloo Reef. by Ryan McMinds / Joe Pollock, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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