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AMAZING BOAT JOURNEYS

Lonely Planet’s new book Amazing Boat Journeys celebrates 60 of the world’s greatest adventures on water and how to experience them.

SAILING NINGALOO REEF AUSTRALIA

Start: Coral Bay
End: Same
Distance: 74–222km
Duration: 3-9 Nights

For sure you’ve heard of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is every bit as astonishing and far less visited. This off-the-radar UNESCO World Heritage–listed marine park is the go-to reef for encounters with humpbacks, manta rays, dugongs, turtles, goofy whale sharks: you name it. One of the longest near-shore reefs on earth, it’s pristine thanks to the eco initiatives that keep it that way. While you can easily visit on a day’s excursion, super-stylish liveaboard catamaran Shore Thing gets you properly out on the reef and under the water to experience all its hidden nooks and crannies.

RIDING THE WAVES

As snorkellers glide along in wide-eyed wonder in the translucent turquoise water, cobalt damselfish descend like a tropical storm cloud, pouty sweetlips poke their heads out of rocky enclaves, iridescent parrotfish gnaw away at blooms of plate coral, and Nemo-like clownfish play peek-a-boo in sea anemone tentacles. A blissed-out turtle beats time with the ocean as it glides effortlessly over a forest of blue-tipped staghorn coral. Shoals of neon-coloured fish flash past like strobe lights. Manta rays – the flying carpets of the deep – begin a strange watery dance, their 7m wingspans and graceful moves eliciting wonder. Meanwhile, over at Asho’s Gap, grey reef sharks in need of a parasite polish queue at a cleaning station for their fish-nibbling spa treatment.

This is just another day in the sub-aquatic paradise that is the Ningaloo Reef. One of the world’s largest and most accessible fringing coral reefs, it spreads some 5000sq km off the mid– west coast of Western Australia. Here more than 500 species of fish, as well as turtles (hawksbill, loggerhead and green), manta rays, dugongs, whales, whale sharks and dolphins splash around in the calm, shallow, clear-as-glass Indian Ocean.

Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, the real beauty of Ningaloo is that you pretty much have it to yourself, especially on liveaboard catamaran Shore Thing from Sail Ningaloo, which sets sail from Coral Bay with a maximum of 10 guests. Besides showing their guests the ‘sights’, skipper Luke and his friendly crew go about the important business of gathering data on marine life and ensuring that their tours have impeccable eco credentials. On their three-, five- and nine-day marine tours, the days blend mellowly into one and time ceases to have meaning. Life on the reef is more intuitive, ruled by the coming and going of tides, the migration seasons of marine life and the underwater discoveries each new day brings. Wetsuits quickly become second skins for the daily guided snorkels in the shallow reef lagoons and dives in deeper waters.

Back on the boat, the vibe is low-key and intimate. The chipper crew offer plenty of insight into the marine life, and they offer beautifully cooked meals (think tandoori chicken with mango salsa, Moroccan-spiced lamb and home-baked berry cheesecake) and sunset drinks on deck. After dark, it’s all about the sensationally starry nights – providing the skies are clear – as zero light pollution boosts your chances of sighting the Southern Cross.

Seasonal highlights for sea-life spotters include migratory humpback whales from July to October; whales use the reef as a giant nursery and can often be seen playing with their calves. Every bit as special is the chance to swim alongside the world’s biggest fish – the whale shark – from mid-March to July, when these humongous filter feeders flock here to feast on krill during coral spawning season.

Whale sharks are distributed in a band 35° south and 30° north of the equator, but nowhere are they found in such abundance as at Ningaloo. Powering through the ocean as if on autopilot, these monster-sized fish, with metre-wide mouths held cartoonishly agape, hoover up the plankton, krill and crustaceans in their path. Here, coming eye-to-eye with one of these 20-metric-tonne giants is as simple as slipping on a snorkel and diving in.

LIFE ON BOARD

The luxe catamaran Shore Thing has bright, appealingly designed cabins ranging from deluxe doubles with shared facilities to the air-conditioned king stateroom with en-suite toilet and shower. One triple is also available. Some cabins feature skylights for bedtime stargazing. All are very comfortable.

OTHER ROUTES

The classic Sail Ningaloo tours are the three- to five-night snorkel and dive breaks, but depending on the season you can also book specialist tours including a seven-night humpback whale safari or whale shark tour, or the nine-night Ultimate Ningaloo tour.

MAKE IT HAPPEN

The boat departs twice weekly on scheduled tours from March to December – see www.sailningaloo.com.au for exact dates. Rates include gourmet meals and snacks, unlimited soft drinks, sun cream, and all snorkelling, diving, kayaking and fishing equipment. The nearest regional airport to Coral Bay is Learmonth, with connecting flights to Perth International. Airport transfers can be arranged on request. Advance tour bookings are highly recommended – secure your place at least several months ahead.

GOING DEEPER

While the snorkelling at the Ningaloo Reef is out of this world, those keen to go deeper might want to try scuba diving. Besides all the equipment, Sail Ningaloo offers dedicated three-night liveaboard dive trips (from $1800) as well as PADI Open Water dive courses ($550) and PADI Advanced Open Water courses ($450). It’s a uniquely special place to learn.

• Swim alongside twirling manta rays in the Bateman Sanctuary Zone,
• Discover remote snorkel and dive sites around ‘Holey Moley’ like the Lost City and the Fishbowl.
• Sip a cool drink on the sand dunes of Point Cloates as the sun dips into the Indian Ocean.
• Tour the remains of an old whaling station at Norwegian Bay and snorkel the wreck of a whaler at the ‘Fin’.
• Watch harmless reef sharks getting a good scrub at Asho’s Gap cleaning station.
• Bathe on the sands of Paradise Beach back in Coral Bay.

Reproduced with permission from Lonely Planet: Amazing Boat Journeys © 2019, www.lonelyplanet.com