Coral Bay & Exmouth

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Coral Bay is a lovely-little resort that stands in an attractive bay yards from the Ningaloo Coral Reef. This is one of a few places on earth where you can actually snorkel from the beach. Swim for a few seconds and suddenly you are over the reef, admiring the hard corals and the countless numbers of fish.

On our first day we booked a trip to see the whale sharks who had been sighted on the outer reef for a few weeks. Whale sharks are the largest species of fish on the planet and arrive on the reef in early May to feed on the large stocks of plankton. They are filter feeders so they are safe to swim with. Unfortunately things didn't go well. A pod of orcas had been sighted near the coast and this had scared off the whale sharks. We bobbed up and down on the ocean for most of the day with eyes fixed on the horizon, trying not to throw up. No sign of any whale sharks.

Some of the best snorkelling sites in the world

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On the way back in we did stop for a snorkel and had our first sight of the reef and of the neighbourhood reef sharks. We were happily swimming along when a tawny nurse shark swam underneath us and opened its mouth. Its teeth were being cleaned by brave little fish or were risking life and limb for a little snack. Instead of watching and waiting, panic set in and I grabbed Catherine and headed back to the boat as quickly as possible.

The next day we snorkelled off the beach which was just as impressive. Just a few kicks with the fins and you were in the middle of the reef. We stayed in for an hour or so and another shark turned up - this time a white-tipped reef shark swam right underneath me. Again, I didn't stay long enough to have a good look and headed back to the beach.

However, the best was yet to come. Turquoise Bay, up towards Exmouth, was an absolutely stunning snorkelling the site. The water was calm and clear and a current took you along the reef. All you needed to do was walk up the beach, swim out to the reef and then float along over the top. When finished you could do it all again. The current had its dangers though. Our guide told us that if we carried on beyond a sandy point we would be swept out to sea beyond the reef and we would be at the mercy of the tiger sharks.

We saw so many fish. Some of them swam up to our masks and all around us. Best of all, we spotted a turtle and swam with it for five minutes before it bade us farewell.

You could argue that the Ningaloo Reef is just as impressive for snorkelling as the Great Barrier Reef. It can't compete in terms of colourful soft corals but the fish here are much more impressive - definitely a ' must see' place in WA.