Swim with Whale Sharks at Ningaloo

The 2023 Ningaloo whale shark season has officially commenced.

Make this year the year you tick off the bucket list experience of swimming with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, an experience of a lifetime and a must-do when you're visiting the area. Ningaloo Reef is one of the world's largest fringing reefs, stretching over 300km along Western Australia's coastline, and is one of the only places in the world where whale sharks reliably congregate each year.

Being in the water with the world's biggest fish is both exhilarating and serene, simultaneously awe-inspiring and humbling. You'll feel dwarfed by a whale shark's massive size, but they are harmless filter feeders and their curiousity around people has nothing to do with food. A whale sharks' diets typically consists of plankton, copepods, krill and fish eggs.

Tours depart from both Coral Bay and Exmouth.

Did you know: only 1 in 3 million people globally will swim with a whale shark in their lifetime!

Video credit: Ningaloo Discovery

Frequently Asked Questions

When do tours operate?

Tours typically operate from March through to the end of June in Coral Bay and to early August in Exmouth. As whale sharks are wild animals in their natural environment, these season dates may vary from year to year.

Ningaloo's humpback swimming season runs from August to October, so if you join a Ningaloo Reef eco tour during these months there's a chance you may also swim with a whale shark. In 2022, people were encountering whale sharks until as late as mid-November! Please note, however, that there is no guarantee that you'll encounter a whale shark outside of the main season.

Where do tours operate?

Tours operate from both Coral Bay and Exmouth, in Western Australia's Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area.

• Qantas flies between Perth and Learmonth (Exmouth) Airport daily. The flight takes just under 2 hours, and from the airport is a 25 minute drive north to Exmouth or a 1 hour, 10 minute drive south to Coral Bay. Between 30 April and 26 October 2023, Qantas will also fly directly between Melbourne's Tullarmarine Airport and Learmonth Airport on Sundays and Thursdays.
• Alternatively, you can road trip from Perth to Coral Bay and Exmouth along the Coral Coast Highway. This can be experienced as a one-way Fly + Drive Holiday, or as a round-trip, self-drive holiday. Coral Bay is approximately 12 hours' drive north of Perth, and Exmouth is approximately 13 hours' away.

How does a whale shark tour work?

Whale shark tours are full day experiences. Expect to leave your accommodation around 7:00am and arrive back in the afternoon between 4:00pm and 5:00pm.

Your chosen whale shark tour operator's bus will collect you from a designated meeting point or your hotel and transfer you to the boat ramp, from where you'll set out onto the Ningaloo Reef. You'll be given a safety briefing on the boat, before having the opportunity to snorkel on Ningaloo's inner reef, while spotter planes locate the whale sharks. Most tours include two snorkels on the inner reef, where you can see incredible coral, fish and sometimes turtles.

Following your snorkel on the inner reef, you'll continue to Ningaloo's outer reef, following the direction of the spotter plane. Once you're near a whale shark, the vessel will stop a safe distance away as to not disrupt the fish.

Next, you jump in! Groups of up to 10 swimmers enter the water with a dive master as their guide, ensuring you swim a safe distance from the whale shark. Most whale shark tours accommodate up to 20 guests on board, so you'll be split into smaller groups for the experience. You'll be dropped in the water close to the whale shark, and your guide will tell you when to put your head into the water and start swimming. You'll be left breathless as these giant spotty fish glide past you in the water, soaking up the sight of the distinctive white spots on their grey bodies, with defined ridges which almost look like stripes.

After your whale shark encounter, the boat will pick up the members of your swimming group, then repeat the process for your next group of 10. This 'jump' is repeated several times before a late lunch is served, and you'll then have the opportunity for more snorkelling back on the inner reef.

Once you arrive back to shore, the bus will transfer you back to your accommodation.

Why swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef?

Which tour do I book?

Check out the list of Coral Bay and Exmotuh whale shark tour operators below!