Ningaloo Reef Australia
With its beautiful lagoons and teaming marine life, Ningaloo Reef is Australia's paramount snorkeling and shallow diving site. Furthermore, at approximately 260-km (160 miles) long, it is the world's most extensive fringe reef. Located off Australia's west coast, the reef ranges from 7-km (4 miles) off shore to less than 200-m (650 feet).
Ningaloo is famous for the regular visits that whale sharks make to the area. These extraordinary creatures appear so often that it is here where they can be carefully studied. At over 12-m (44 feet), whale sharks are the largest cold-blooded animal in the world.
Every March, the sharks come to the reef and usually stay until June. Since whale sharks are harmless filter feeders, it's no coincidence that this migration coincides with the annual coral spawn, which turns the sea into a plankton smorgasbord. In spite of the plankton, visibility can be 20 to 30-m (65 to 100 feet).
Ningaloo is famous for the regular visits that whale sharks make to the area. These extraordinary creatures appear so often that it is here where they can be carefully studied. At over 12-m (44 feet), whale sharks are the largest cold-blooded animal in the world.
Every March, the sharks come to the reef and usually stay until June. Since whale sharks are harmless filter feeders, it's no coincidence that this migration coincides with the annual coral spawn, which turns the sea into a plankton smorgasbord. In spite of the plankton, visibility can be 20 to 30-m (65 to 100 feet).
