As the tour departs at 4pm, you can fly in to Learmonth on the day of your tour departure and there is plenty of time to travel to Coral Bay and have a look around before joining us on board. Most days of the week you are also able to fly out the afternoon after the tour returns at 12:30pm. Sail Ningaloo is pleased to offer airport transfers to/from Learmonth airport for all our departing tours, please contact us for pricing and to discuss options if you are unable to find flights that you believe are suitable.
All of Sail Ningaloo’s tours cater for both snorkellers and scuba divers, from the not so confident, to experienced skill levels. You can expect to be offered 2 to 3 snorkelling activities per day depending on the time of year and scuba diving is offered on average 1 – 2 of those times, depending on the conditions of the day and sites visited. Being a shallow fringing reef, you can see & experience the best Ningaloo has to offer in shallow protected coral lagoons in any weather.
*Tour can be offered in reverse at times, with your afternoon in Coral Bay on Day 4 instead of Day 6.
Day 1
Once you arrive in Coral Bay take the short transfer to board Shore Thing at the local marine facility for a 4pm departure. The journey begins as we set sail in protected waters, winding our way through spectacular dense coral formations that surround Coral Bay. Enjoy a late afternoon snorkel or scuba dive before enjoying a magical sunset over the Indian Ocean as the vessel sails to its overnight anchorage.
Day 2
Following breakfast, enjoy a morning snorkel or scuba dive such as Pandora’s Garden, a beautiful coral garden exhibiting stunning plate coral formations and home to numerous marine turtles. After morning tea, we sail northwards via Batemans Bay, home to a resident population of coastal Manta Rays that frequent the inner reef to mate, give birth and feed. Enjoy a discussion on Manta Ray biology and behavior along the Ningaloo Reef with your guide, whilst we search for these graceful rays to snorkel with. Enjoy a freshly prepared buffet lunch before we navigate along the breath-taking Stanley Pools and explore the edge of the contrasting waters where the sand has been shaped by the waters movement to form distinct pools of deep blue water. We seek out dugongs, dolphins and humpback whales (seasonal, June – October) as we travel to our afternoon snorkeling and diving destinations on the way into Chabjuwardoo Bay for our overnight anchorage.
Day 3
Sailing north towards Point Cloates, your crew and expert guides will select the best snorkel & scuba diving sites based on the conditions. Sites we visit over the next couple of days are only visited by Shore Thing and have been personally named by the Sail Ningaloo crew. Some of our favorites include The Fishbowl, Holey Moley, Turtle Pond and The Lost City. We sail past the resting site of The Stefano, and Jane’s Bay, where survivors of this shipwreck made it to shore, an incredible tale of survival with assistance from the Aboriginal inhabitants of the North-West cape. This afternoon step ashore at Point Cloates and relish in the tranquility of watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean, with a birds eye view from the top of the sand dunes. Return to Shore Thing for a sumptuous 2-course dinner and review your photos, or the images the crew has collected over the day, of the various species of reef fish and corals. Learn and discuss the unique behaviors of the marine creatures you have observed.
Day 4
After a hearty breakfast, your crew and guides will select the best snorkel & scuba diving sites around the Point Cloates area based on the conditions. Some of our favorites include Cloates Corner, The Clam Graveyard, The Benan Shipwreck and Central Station, seeing hundreds of species of colourful reef fish and a good chance to see reef sharks and turtles cruising by, as well as a huge variety of smaller critters, including spectacular nudibranchs & octopus. We sail into Norwegian Bay, passing the ruins of the historic whaling station, abandoned in the 1950’s. Learn about life in the whaling days on this remote stretch of coastline, where Humpback Whales migrate along the coast in their thousands. Have the opportunity to snorkel the Fin Shipwreck, an old whaling chaser that was wrecked during a cyclone in 1923 & now lies in shallow water inside the reef lagoon, a haven for reef fish & other marine life.
Day 5
Enjoy a leisurely morning kayak or SUP along the secluded coastline, keeping an eye out for large rays resting and turtles feeding in the shallow waters. Experience another thrilling snorkel or scuba dive in the Point Cloates area before we wind our way back towards Point Maud for our afternoon anchorage. Some of our favourite snorkel & scuba dive sites include The Minefield, The Ravine and Lannie’s Lumps, where you have the chance to see large groupers, rare loggerhead turtles, moray eels and fascinating coral formations. Passing North Reef, we keep an eye out for Manta Rays before snorkelling North Reef Nursery, a nursery area for schools of sweetlips and snapper and a great opportunity to find reef sharks and rays resting in small coral caves. Snorkel along sandy underwater pathways fringed by hard coral outcrops rising to the waters surface. Relax on the deck as the day winds down, enjoying your last night on Shore Thing with your crew and 5 night guests as you reminisce your favourite memories of the past few days.
Day 6
Before a sumptuous buffet lunch, enjoy one or two snorkels or scuba dives, our favourites include The Ridge, The Stag Fores, or the fascinating Asho’s Gap, a cleaning station for grey reef sharks. Watch as the sharks swim up to a large cabbage coral and hold themselves in the currents with their mouths open, whilst small cleaner fish dart in and out of their mouths and gills.
We return to Coral Bay approximately 12:30pm dropping off any guests who have only joined the 5 night tour. Take a stroll along the picturesque Bills Bay beach to the reef shark nursery or swim and snorkel right from the beach and see why the town got its name, or just spend the afternoon lazing around on the beach.
Later in the afternoon, re-board Shore Thing with any new guests ready for the final 3 nights. Enjoy a late afternoon snorkel or dive near Five Fingers Reef before enjoying a cool drink as the sunsets and the vessel sails to its overnight anchorage.
Day 7
Before lunch, enjoy a couple of morning snorkel or dives at the best sites to suit the conditions of the day, such as Black Douglas or Coral Gullies, that features sandy underwater pathways fringed by hard coral outcrops rising to the waters surface. You have the chance to see reef sharks and turtles cruising by or large rays resting as we explore, all the while keeping a keen eye out for the smaller critters as well. Enjoy a freshly prepared buffet lunch and relax on the deck whilst we hoist the sails, utilising wind power to propel us to our evening anchorage, keeping a look out for playful dolphins or shy dugong along the way. Enjoy a late afternoon snorkel, one of our favourite times of day to capture the sunlight filtering through the water & lighting up the reefs inhabitants. As the sun sets, indulge in a sumptuous dinner and share memories of the day’s underwater adventures.
Day 8
Your crew and guides will select the best snorkel and dive sites based on the conditions. Ningaloo Reef boasts a mind-boggling variety of fish, turtles, and colourful coral formations, making every dive or snorkel an unforgettable adventure. Some of our favourites include Syd’s Harbour, Goliath’s Den & The Football Field. You may like to enjoy a leisurely kayak or SUP, keeping an eye out for large rays resting and turtles feeding in the shallow waters. Between June and October there is a fantastic opportunity to observe Humpback Whales as they migrate along the Ningaloo coast.
Day 9
Hopefully you’ve been able to experience what it’s like snorkelling next to the reefs most graceful characters, the coastal Manta Rays, already during the last week of your tour. However no one ever complains about having multiple opportunities! We’ll do a final search for these graceful rays as we sail back towards Coral Bay. Before a sumptuous buffet lunch, enjoy one last snorkel or scuba dive at the reef shark cleaning station or the Blue Maze, where the thick coral coverage is a haven for small reef fish.
Return to Coral Bay approximately 12:30pm with the option to catch the afternoon flight departing Learmonth airport, or relax in Coral Bay or Exmouth for extra nights so you can experience more of what this truly magical destination offers.
“We spent 5 idyllic days on the Shore Thing… If you enjoy snorkelling and scuba diving with delightful, knowledgeable and professional crew then this Ningaloo Reef tour is perfect for you.”
“If you have any worries about sea sickness, don’t be concerned. The Shore Thing stays within Ningaloo Reef in the calmer waters and it wasn’t an issue at all.”
“We really enjoyed our time on the Shore Thing and would love to return some day. We feel that we got rare and privileged access to Ningaloo Reef as the staff knew all the fantastic spots to dive at.”
“5 stars from us and well done to Luke and Lannie for running such a professional exceptional business with a genuine commitment to the satisfaction and enjoyment of the guests hosted”
