Snorkeling the Ningaloo Reef - Australia

The Ningaloo Reef is only meters from the shore at Coral Bay and very easily accessible. For three days Campbell and I spent the days snorkeling and lazing in the sun and the nights drinking beers with a couple of English girls who were hitch hiking their way around Australia. The Coral is not all that colourful but the fish are bright and varied. The campsite at Coral Bay was packed and we were lucky to get a spot. The beach though was fairly vacant for much of the day giving you plenty of space. Coral Bay is a relatively new beachside town with only two caravan parks and a hotel. Boats trips to the outer part of the reef are offered although Campbell and I decided to wait till Exmouth to go on a boat.
Coral Bay was another great spot but as we were on a road trip we wanted to see what the next stop had to offer. Exmouth became our next stop and we stayed at a campsite by the lighthouse about twelve kilometers out of town. The campsite was good enough and a better location in terms of getting to the beach than the campsites in town. It made for an interesting drive one night though as we left the pub after watching the footy. Kangaroos, Wallabies and Emus were walking all over the road and we were very lucky to get back without causing any damage to the car.
The lighthouse where we stayed is the entrance point to the Cape Range National Park so Campbell and I spent the day driving through the park, completing a couple of the walks and then snorkeling the Ningaloo Reef again at Torquise Bay. The fish were more plentiful there than at Coral Bay and I even spotted a large turtle.
The highlight of our time in Exmouth and one of the highlights of my time in Western Australia was our swim with the whale sharks.