Coral Bay, WhaleShark and Manta Rays

Hey Everyone, so this post is going to be in two sections. We've been pretty busy these past few weeks and just couldn't fit everything into one post, so don't forget to read the post just after this too!
Where do we start?? So after our 6 day tour up to Exmouth we went back to Coral bay so that we were nice and close to the beach and the reef and we could snorkel and swim whenever we wanted. The Ningaloo Reef is only a few meters off the shore here so its nice and easy to access. We spent 4 days there, and on Monday the 7th we were supposed to do our Whaleshark swim... Unfortunately we couldn't get out on the water because of high winds and large swells. The next day they would be able to get us on the boat wasn't until Wednesday!! We were very nervous because we had to get on a bus on Thursday, so if we didn't spot a shark that day, we wouldn't have been able to do it again. Not much we could do about that situation. So we spent the day at the beach snorkeling, pretty sad hey?
Tuesday we hopped on a Manta Ray tour with Ningaloo Reef Dive. By 9am we were on the water and in search of Manta's. It wasn't long before the spotter plane found one for us! Before we knew it we zoomed off to its location and we were in the water. The water was a bit milky from the large swells the day before and it was hard to see at first. Then suddenly right below us a huge Manta appeared and was doing back flips right underneath us!!! This ray was 4 meters from wing tip to wing tip and only a few feet below us. Luckily I had the camera ready and I snapped away as fast as I could, not even really aiming the camera. After a few seconds he dove and we couldn't see him anymore. Since this Manta was a bit timid we went off in search of another one to swim with. A short while later we had found another one!! This one was right on the surface and we could see its wings flapping above the water. Even though it dove down we were still able to swim with it for awhile since the water was only a few meters deep. There were 10 of us shoulder to shoulder in the water and we were the same width as the Manta as we followed it along the bottom for about 100 meters. After that amazing swim we went to another dive site where we could snorkel and the divers could dive on the reef. We got back to shore just after 2pm and had a quick lunch before heading back to the beach to do some more snorkeling!
Early Wednesday morning we went to Coral Bay Adventures to see if we would be going out on the water that day. The whalesharks are very rare and they don't always see them every time the boat goes out. The skipper told us that today would be a go, and before long we were on the boat and off to our first dive site. This was supposed to only be a 'test' dive to make sure everyones equipment was working because we would be going a long way out and wanted to fix any problems early. So since this was just a test dive I decided to leave my camera on the boat... Typical, cause this had to be one of the most beautiful spots we have dived at yet! We saw amazing coral, tons of fish, and a huge Loggerhead turtle!! Luckily there was a photographer on board and she got some great shots for us. After that taste test the spotter plane was in the air and we headed north out to sea and we played the patience game. The skipper said that it can take 20mins to find one or all day... I guess the day before they didn't see one until 1pm!
For the first few hours of the day we all just sat around and chatted with each other - well most of us did... We discovered Erynn will never be a sailor. She was sea sick the whole time, sitting with her head in her hands off in the corner. As we made our way north we came across a huge pod of dolphins!! They jumped at the bow of the boat for at least 30 mins. The skipper said that there were at least 100 of them in the water! There was also a bunch of flying fish with them too!! At first I thought it was birds skimming the water, until I noticed that they were coming out of the water!! It was amazing!! It really lifted everyones spirits, even Erynn found her way to the edge to watch them for a while. We also saw a huge marlin jump out of the water just beside the boat!! By now it was after 1pm and still no shark. The skipper said that we may not get a chance to see one today, but they were trying their best, even sending a second plane out searching the sea. Again we waited and waited. Finally we spotted one!! The problem was that it was very far north. The crew said that it was much farther than they had ever gone before and that if the shark dove down we wouldn't be able to wait for it to surface and have to turn back for home. We went full speed ahead for at least 30mins as everyone got all their gear on and ready for action. Soon we spotted the shark and group 1 was in the water. Erynn and I lined up with group 2 ready for the signal to jump in. Suddenly we were told to 'slide' into the water... it was more like a mad scramble and sprint to the front towards the shark. We reached the swimmer (crew member with eyes on the shark) and kept our faces in the water scanning for anything. Suddenly there it was! This huge shark appeared and was coming right at us! I can't really describe the feeling after that moment. This huge gentle giant was just slowly cruising past oblivious to us swimming along with it. I could see it open and close its mouth and move its massive body as it swallowed the plankton and krill in the water. It seemed like we were following it for ages, because the first group was only in the water for what seemed like seconds! I checked the camera and we had been following it for over 6mins. Soon we were told to stop and go back to our boat so that the next boat could get its swimmers in the water. We got back to the boat and everyone had huge grins on their faces, I could feel my heart still pounding and I thought it was going to come right out of my chest! I grabbed Erynns hand so she could feel when I saw her turn green. She caught a whiff of the diesel fumes and suddenly ran to the end of the boat... all I could see was Erynn hanging over the edge... I guess the sea sickness finally got the best of her. Unfortunately she missed the second swim because she was occupied with other matters. She wasn't alone though, two others had gotten sick as well and couldn't do the second swim. I looked back at Erynn as I lined up to go again as she was still hanging over the edge, we caught each others eye and she signaled that she was alright and for me to go back in the water.
The second swim I was only with 5 other people and we had the shark all to ourselves for another 5mins, I got a really good idea of the size of it when I saw Amber the photographer just on the other side of it. She looked so small in comparison and was no bigger that its dorsal fin. Soon everyone was back in the boat and we made our way back to Coral Bay. We were 70kms north and a 3 hour ride back to shore. Erynn found a comfy spot on the mats in the middle and slept the whole way back along with 6 others exhausted from the day.
Once back to shore we all gathered at the shop and looked at the photo's from the day over a nice cold beer.... Erynn chose a water instead. What a great day we had... and that night we both slept great!
Thursday was our last day in Coral Bay, so we decided to do something different and go snorkeling at the beach. It was another magical day... as soon as we stepped into the water to put our gear on a dolphin and its calf came by to say hello and jumped right out of the water only a few meters away. We swam out a few meters and saw a small eagle ray hunting fish around us. Then further out over the reef we came across another turtle and swam with him for 10mins before he found a spot and nestled in for a snooze on the reef. We finished the day watching the sun go down on the beach and waited for our bus to take us back to Perth.
So here we are back in Perth for one day... Tomorrow we fly to Melbourne for more adventure, then a week after that we fly to the other reef... the one they keep in Cairns, called the Great Barrier Reef. Stay tuned for more....

Nate & Erynn