Australia - 22 - Coral Bay

Friday, 21 April 2023

Coral Bay is a resort community south of Exmouth on the west coast of Australia. The Ningaloo Reef is just offshore here, making it a major destination for snorkeling.

An early morning excursion schedule meant we were up for sunrise.

The crew was readying Zodiacs as the sun was rising.

We landed at Maud's Landing Beach - Zodiacs are not allowed to land on the Coral Bay beach. It was a 10-minute bus ride over to Coral Bay. The seas were fairly rough.

Coral Bay had a large campground. Many Australian campers have a very military look to them.

We were supposed to have a tour of the reef on a glass-bottom boat, followed by snorkeling. But high tide and rough waters made both unsafe. A few hardy snorkelers were out on the reef, you can see them (circled in yellow) in front of the boat, along with the vigorous waves breaking over the reef. Definitely not "snorkeling for beginners". Instead of snorkeling, we had time to visit the few shops in this very small town.

Gradation in ocean color on Coral Bay beach.

Another view of ocean colors from Coral Bay beach.