ENCOUNTERING
Giants
An unexpected meeting makes diving on Ningaloo Reef one of the many transcendental whale sighting experiences on offer along the West Coast of Australia.
WORDS Jeremy Drake
Western Australia does whale watching better than anywhere else in the southern hemisphere. On our recent trip to Coral Bay we were lucky enough to encounter the Humpback equivalent of an eight-lane highway. This unexpected encounter felt like a colossal, once-in-a-lifetime greeting, and is just one example of how to witness these magical creatures along the West Australian Coast.
We bobbed our heads to the surface, our faces stitched with an expression of unrecognisable awe beneath our goggles and snorkels. Seconds earlier, we’d been serenely swimming alongside a nearly seven-metre whale shark in our wetsuits, hovering just at the surface of Coral Bay on Ningaloo Reef, the largest fringing Reef in Australia.
This part was not so unexpected because we were on a dedicated whale shark swimming tour with the four-person crew from Live Ningaloo in an area considered to be one of the globe’s last remaining coastal cradles for these gargantuan fish, who come here to rest between March and August each year. But when our tranquil, meditative state was entirely shattered by the emergence of two colossal humpback whales, a mother and her calf, crossing our paths just ahead of us, the experience was elevated to another level. Even the whale shark we had just been swimming alongside jolted to the left, seemingly also shocked by their ghost-like presence.
The reverberations of a playful underwater whistle from one of the giant mammals pulsated over our skin as they swam by. We watched the white underside of their tails wave back at us as they disappeared into the blue as quickly as they arrived. It was short-lived but no less transcendental.
Our visit to the Reef was late in the season. As such, the team at Sal Salis had boasted when we arrived that during our particular mega fauna tour, we might see “humpies” (instead of the usual whale sharks the region is known for) during their southward migration back to Antarctica. They told us it would be rare for us to swim with them at this time of year, though, as they are usually with calves, and strict rules prohibit humpback-human encounters when they are with their young. That is unless they decide to swim with you. Like any good wildlife encounter, whether you’re in the Okavango Delta, the rainforests of Sabah, or launching from the Tantabiddi Boat Ramp on the North West Cape of Western Australia, the best time to start any David Attenborough-style adventure is near dawn.
Live Ningaloo, a private operator from nearby Exmouth, specialises in ultra-small and intimate group tours and will collect you from reception at Sal Salis before the 30-minute drive north to the boat ramp. We use this time to admire the sunrise over the Cape Range National Park, watching as osprey soar overhead in search of breakfast.
Our group of four was quickly introduced to our crew, which consisted of a captain and deckhand, plus our two main guides: a marine biologist, Katie, and an underwater cameraman, Justin. Both of them ensured our day was educational (and Instagrammable).
First, we received a familiarisation briefing from the captain of our vessel, a shallow-draft Waverider capable of manoeuvring around tight sections of the Reef littered with coral bommies and other obstacles. He tells us it’s also uniquely designed to accelerate quickly to get into position when one of the overhead planes spots a shark in the bay. Right on cue, as an engine roars overhead, the boat’s radio crackled with the sound of our dedicated spotter plane pilot. Our captain scurried onto his bridge to motor us out to the Reef with the sort of boyish enthusiasm with which I’m sure he started every tour.
Another briefing from our scientist, Katie, this time with a toy whale shark and a figurine snorkeler on a stick, simulating the safe distances and positioning for our group once we’re all in the water together. On our nearly six-hour tour, we encounter five different whale sharks and spot three sea turtles along the journey. Yet, the unexpected humpback interaction will etch the experience into our memory forever. Exhausted, we all clambered onto the boat’s back deck. Before we could even remove our goggles, and still dripping with excitement and Ningaloo salt, we were handed a glass of celebratory sparkling wine. Only on Sal Salis’s back deck, under a setting sun and with their famous group canapes, could we all sit together and genuinely appreciate the magic of the day. Guests are encouraged to come together here in ultimate barefoot luxury to share and discuss their interactions with nature on the Reef at the end of each day.
As we sipped another wine together, we marvelled at the incredible luck we’d had to witness so many rare moments and before the sun slipped behind the horizon for a final time, two humpback whales breaching in the distance, almost as if they could still hear us and felt compelled to deliver one final surprise encore.
WHALES WITH ROTTNEST EXPRESS
For yet another spectacular mega-fauna encounter, the Rottnest Express Whale Watching Tour is an unforgettable experience during the whale migration season. Departing from Fremantle, an expert host will join you on board for a two-hour cruise where you’ll witness the incredible humpback whales in the wild. Running September to November, the journey is a guaranteed whale-watching experience as you cruise across this turquoise stretch of the Indian Ocean. Enjoy views from the bow and back deck while listening to commentary about these creatures. From $75 per person available for a limited time only.