How to Swim with Humpback Whales

How to Swim with Humpback Whales describes how I swam with humpback whales, not once, not twice but 3 times when I spent the day with Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours in Coral Bay, Western Australia. Yes, I confess, the plan was to swim with whale sharks. However, one week each July they all disappear off the continental shelf and dive below 2000m (that’s when the trackers imploded) and nobody knows where they go or what they do. Plan B- swim with humpback whales instead. It didn’t disappoint.

A bit about Humpback Whales

Each year 40,000 humpback whales migrate 10,000km from Antarctica up the Western Australia Coast to the crystal clear waters of Ningaloo Reef to breed. Whales can swim up to 8km/hr but during the migration cruise at an average leisurely 1.6km/hr.

Humpback whales measure 16-17m in length and weigh up to 40 tonnes. That’s a bit bigger than a bus! So, when they breach, that is when they throw their entire body out of the water, in an action of pure joy, it’s truly impressive. Humpback whales can live up to 50 years. They eat krill and small fish and practice the techique called bubble netting where they swim in circles blowing bubbles which compress the krill or fish together, then they will swim up through the bubble net and open their enormous mouths to engulf their meal. Humpback whales can eat 1360kg of krill per day during feeding season.

The trip south later in the year is slower as the new mums swim with their 4-5m long, 2 tonne calves. Humpback whales are the most playful whale species. Look out for spouts, spyhops, pectoral slaps, body rolls and if you are lucky, breath-taking breaches where the 40 tonne mammals launch themselves skyward in a display of pure power and joy.

Swimming with Humpback Whales

Our adventure started at Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours, Coral Bay at 7am where we met our guides for the day and were fitted up with full body wetsuits, fins, mask and snorkel. I highly recommend grabbing breakfast at the local bakery. This is the right time to take your Anti Seasickness pills.

We boarded a bus for the short trip down to the jetty to board our boat. After a quick safety briefing, we were on our way for an introductory snorkel. There were only 20 guests on board as only 10 people will be allowed in the water to swim with whales at any one time. We had two snorkel guides and the underwater photographer in the water with us. They kept a very close eye on us as we had several no so good swimmers in the water.

The water was crystal clear and the coral was amazing and very healthy. The coral was predominately hard coral so not that colourful but heaps of variety and some of the structures were huge! And the fish…………so many fish and so many species. Huge butterfly fish! I think I counted almost 10 different varieties of butterfly fish. We also saw a turtle!

Credit: Olivia Smith – Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours

We returned to the boat and after a roll call and a hot drink, we were on our way to the deeper water just outside the reef where we would swim with whale sharks.

At 10.30am, the spotter plane was in the air looking for whales to swim with. The whales must be swimming, not actively breaching, tail slapping etc and must not have a calf with them. The spotter plane can see the path the whales are taking against the sandy bottom in the shallower (about 25m deep) water. The pilot is on the radio to the boat captain who lines the boat up in the path of the whales. The first group of snorkelers with snorkel guide and photographer slide into the ocean and wait for instructions from the pilot as the boat moves out of the way.

We are in a line behind our snorkel guide and she has the radio held up above her head. From the plane we hear, “swim west, west, west”. We swim towards the coast and stop. We hear “stay there, stay there, stay there” and then we hear “heads in the water”. And this is what we saw…..

Credit: Olivia Smith – Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours

Four enormous humpback whales cruising directly underneath us just off the sea floor. The water was so clear that we could see the patterns in the sand on the sea floor!

Once the whales had past, the boat came in to pick us up. Once again, quick roll call to make sure everyone is on board. Time for a hot drink whilst the next group goes into the water. I grabbed my camera to try to grab some photos of the whales above the water.

Second dip into the Indian Ocean to swim with humpback whales was even better. The plane lined us up perfectly and the whales swam right underneath us. Just this time they were maybe 10m underneath us! I tried not to scream with excitement. Once again, roll call when we boarded the boat.

Credit: Olivia Smith – Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours

The third swim was for the dedicated snorkelers as many had tapped out as it was a little cold. But I travelled so far, and this is a once in a lifetime experience and I believe in “no regrets”, so I jumped into the water again.

This time we had to swim quite a bit to line ourselves up and were rewarded with a more side on view.

Credit: Olivia Smith – Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours

After roll call, the boat headed back inside the reef and the spotter plane returned to base. We cruised around the calmer waters of the coral reef as we ate our buffet lunch. As we waited for our lunch to settle, I joined the kids on the front of the boat for some turtle spotting. We saw 4 turtles in total.

In the afternoon, we had another opportunity to snorkel on the reef. Again, heaps of colourful fishes and amazing hard coral – brains, plates, branching coral and many other varieties. The water wasn’t quite as clear as the morning as the wind had stirred the water up during the day but was still excellent.

Credit: Olivia Smith – Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours

Once we were all snorkeled out, and a final roll call, it was back to shore and a short transfer back to base by 5pm.

I loved our day out on the reef and swimming with humpback whales with Ningaloo Reef Whale Shark Tours. Next time, I’ll come earlier in the season, outside of school holidays and swim with whale sharks.

Tips to avoid sea sickness

• Eat a good breakfast – not too fatty
• Stay hydrated – nothing worse than heading out to sea with a hangover!
• Take seasickness tablets before you leave. They take 15 minutes to start working. There are 2 types of Travacalm available from the chemist. (They are not sold in supermarkets. Grrrrr.) The original blue one, I find works best. There is also a ginger based one, but this doesn’t work so good in my opinion. The cruise operators should also have sea sickness tablets available on board.
• Stand outside with the breeze in your face. Front of the boat is the best spot anyway for spotting wildlife.
• Look out to the horizon and look for whales and dolphins. This will help you brain, eyes and ears to figure out which way is up.

Where is Ningaloo Reef?

Ningaloo Reef is a UNESCO world heritage listed fringing reef located in the north west region of Western Australia about 1200km north of Perth. It stretches 260km from Coral Bay in the south to Exmouth and beyond in the north covering approximately 5000 square kilometres.

It is home to 500 species of fish and 250 species of coral, manta rays, dugongs and 3 species of turtles (Green, Loggerhead and Hawksbill). Whale Sharks visit from March until end of July. Humpback whales arrive in June and stay until October with peak sightings in July and August.

When is the best time to visit?

It all depends what marine life you want to see.

The water temperature on Ningaloo Reef ranges from 22 deg C to 28 deg C throughout the year.

How to get there?

Drive

We hired a motorhome in Perth and drove the 1200kms on a Coral Coast Road Trip to Coral Bay. There were for several reasons being:-

• The cost for 5 of us to fly to Exmouth was the same as hiring a motorhome for 2 weeks.
• There was no accommodation available during the July school holidays in Coral Bay or Exmouth even though we tried to book 6 months in advance. It books out 15 months in advance!
• We were able to explore more than Ningaloo Reef

Fly

The quickest way to get to Ningaloo Reef is to fly from Perth to Exmouth. A direct flight with QANTAS takes approximately 2 hours.

Bus

The cheapest way is with Integrity Coach Lines which depart Perth 3 times a week. The trip will take just over 18 hours. OMG!

Where to stay

Coral Bay is a very small community with a permanent population of 350 residents. During the holidays, the population swells to 3500 people! It doesn’t feel crowded though. Make sure you book early, I mean really early. The caravan park books out 15 months in advance during peak times!

People’s Park is the only holiday park in town. They have self-contained cabins, caravan and camp sites. They have a great little restaurant and bar called Fins with excellent pizza.

Ningaloo Club Backpackers is a two storey backpacker hostel just up the road from the beach.

There is no free camping in Coral Bay. If you think you can get away with free camping, rangers will fine you $100 each night. But don’t stress. Coral Bay has overflow unpowered campsites available for $60/night. You have to present yourself to the ticket office at the People’s Park (also known as Coral Bay Bayview) on the main street after 3pm. You cannot book sites in advance.

Things to know before you go

• There is no fresh water source in Coral Bay. Potable water must be purchased by the litre. You cannot fill up your water tanks in your caravans or motorhomes.
• Town water comes from the artesian basin, 850m below the ground. It’s hot and it’s salty and not suitable for drinking.
• The Ampol fuel station is an unmanned fuel pump at the back of town on the way to the boat ramp. Fuel is expensive.
• There is a small supermarket. It is very expensive.
• Bill’s Bar is the only pub in town. The bistro style food is excellent and reasonably priced.

I had a fabulous time exploring Ningaloo Reef and my Swim with Humpback Whales. I will be back to swim with whale sharks!

If you feel inspired reading How to Swim with Humpback Whales, save it, share it or pin it. Maybe put it on your bucket list?

Maybe Western Australia is too far to travel. You can go whale watching on the East Coast of Australia. Find out how in the link below.

Whale Watching on the East Coast of Australia