- November - December Season November - December
If you want to make the most of your holiday and create an unforgettable experience, join us to see a variety of ocean life in the magnificent Ningaloo coral reef lagoon.
Quick Details
Life on Ningaloo Swimming Tour
The post COVID-19 world is a different one and we’ve learned a lot. One thing we know for sure is how fortunate we are to live in a place like Ningaloo. As we all reassess what’s most important to us, we’ve decided to take this opportunity to share with you what we love best about Ningaloo Reef. So, we’ve created a new tour called Life on Ningaloo to give you an insider’s experience. We share what life is like for us when we decide to take the boat out for a day on the Ningaloo Reef.
Coming from a farming background, we appreciate better than most the value of peak growing season. In the past, we have chosen to offer tours based strictly around the wildlife calendar and when viewing opportunities are at their peak. Traditionally, this is:
- Whale sharks from mid March through July
- Humpback whales from August through October.
Our focus on peak viewing, along with having a single swimming group on our boat, is why we have such successful in-water experiences and meaningful moments for our guests.
There are, however, moments of transition at Ningaloo. August through October is one of those periods when three megafauna are at Ningaloo Reef: Whale sharks, Humpback whales and Manta rays. The locals commonly refer to them as the ‘Big Three’ of the Ningaloo reef.
This year, we are offering a tour unlike anything we’ve offered before: the Life on Ningaloo Swimming Tour is inspired by how we snorkel in our personal time and what you might see if you are lucky ducky. We want you to experience the same kind of day out that we like best. You never know what you’re going to see but you know you’re going to have an unforgettable adventure.
Standard Tour
What’s Included
- Transportation: complimentary transfers to and from Exmouth township
- Photos: complimentary professional digital photography on deck and underwater
- Gear: Wetsuits and snorkel gear provided
- Luxury Vessel: qualified skipper, deckhand, photographer, and marine scientist guide
- Education: pre-swim informational session
- Breakfast Snacks: Light morning tea and beverages
- Delicious Lunch: Catered to all dietary requirements, including snacks
- Celebration: A glass of bubbles at day’s end to toast your adventures
- Afternoon Snorkel: An additional coral reef snorkel (conditions permitting)
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Our focus at Live Ningaloo is offering a single swimming group experience to ensure you have the maximum amount of time in the water interacting with wildlife. We host a maximum of 10 guests (x7 swimmers and x3 observer spaces available) on our Ningaloo Life swimming adventures, so you benefit from an intimate tour experience. We escort groups of seven to snorkel and swim within a safe distance of the wildlife we see.
The Ningaloo Reef is home to abundant sea life and you may also spot dugongs, turtles, whale sharks, humpback whales, blue whales, minke whales, orcas, dolphins, manta rays, stunning tropical fish and many types of coral on your adventure.
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This is a tour for people who want the ultimate adventure and are ready for a unique experience. The way we approach this tour is embracing what the Ningaloo Reef has on offer for that particular day. When the spotter plan goes up, they will be instructed to find us suitable megafauna to swim with. There are never any guarantees when you’re dealing with nature but we make our best attempts to conduct exceptional in-water experiences. While we are swimming, the spotter plane continues to look for other megafauna and communicates those options to the skipper to increase the chances of seeing more wildlife.
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Nope, that’s actually the beauty of this tour. What we can guarantee is you’ll have the best possible tour we can muster (e.g. we still use spotter planes, we limit our guest count, etc.) and our best effort to secure you multiple swims with different species. The tour starts with what we believe is the best in-water experience for you and we’ll continue to search for additional megafauna throughout the tour.
We want to show you the best of the Ningaloo reef, in the way the locals appreciate seeing it. Every day on the reef is wonderful, but sometimes it’s extra special and this is the perfect tour for that experience.
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Our luxury vessel, Wave Rider, departs from Tantabiddi Boat Ramp just north of the Cape Range national park entrance in Exmouth. Complimentary transfers are provided to and from Exmouth township for your tour. Advance Bookings for all tours are essential.
Due to the intimate scale of our tours having a maximum of 10 places, we recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.
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Each year, the Ningaloo reef has several transitional seasons. August – October provides us with a variety of different wildlife to interact with. Humpback whales are in their peak season during this time frame. Whale sharks are just outside of their peak season but can be spotted as well as manta rays.
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This intimate tour for a maximum of 10 guests is ideal for those who prefer a more personalised tour experience.
You do not need to be able to SCUBA dive to swim with Life on Ningaloo, as everything we swim with will be close to the surface. Swimmers should be able to snorkel, swim freestyle and cope with currents and swell in the open ocean, and we can also provide flotation devices to assist those who require.
We may accept younger children who are very competent swimmers (from four years old and onwards) to swim with Whale Sharks and can also cater to some special needs and movement restrictions – please note this in your booking. Passengers can also participate in our tours as an ‘observer’. Please note that one parent must accompany children on board the boat at all times.
Private Tour
Dreaming of your own private guided tour? On a private Live Ningaloo tour, you will have the most intimate and bespoke tour experience, the greatest flexibility, and the most time in the water with wildlife for up to 10 guests. It’s also a way for littles under 4 years old to experience the Ningaloo and their family.
We offer this tour with each of our seasons (Whale Sharks, Humpback Whales, and our Turtle Eco adventure tours). If you are seeking a very special marine swimming experience tailored for you or your group, our private tour is made for you. Our vessel, the Wave Rider, and experienced crew are at your disposal for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
On our private Life on Ningaloo swimming adventure you will have the most intimate and bespoke tour experience, the greatest flexibility, and the most time in the water. The tour allows you to snorkel and swim beside 12 – 18 metre long Whale Sharks, up to 40 tonne Humpback whales and flying Manta rays in the warm, clear waters of the Indian Ocean. By exclusively booking our boat, you can choose exactly who to share this magical experience with – we can host a group of up to 10 guests at a time.
Life on Ningaloo swimming tours are suited to a range of ages and swimming abilities and we accept confident swimmers from 4 years of age. You do not need to be able to SCUBA dive to swim with wildlife, as they swim close to the surface. Swimmers should be able to snorkel, swim freestyle and cope with currents and swell in the open ocean, and we can also provide flotation devices to assist those who require.
We may accept younger children who are very competent swimmers (from four years old and onwards) to swim with wildlife and can also cater to some special needs and movement restrictions – please note this in your booking. Passengers can also participate in our tours as an ‘observer’. Please note that one parent must accompany children on board the boat at all times.
Due to the limited availability of this tour, we encourage you to contact us well in advance to book a Private Whale Shark or Humpback Whale Swimming Tour.
Don’t need a private booking? You can join our small group Whale Shark Swimming and Adventure Day Tour or Humpback Whale Swimming and Adventure Day Tour instead. We are the bespoke tour specialists at Ningaloo Reef, specialising in small group tours for a maximum of 10 people.
Whale Shark Swimming Dates: mid-March – 31 July
Life of Ningaloo Swimming Dates: 01 August – 31 October
Turtle Eco-tours: 01 November – 31 December
Advance bookings for all tours are essential.