We have loved our 5 night stay in Exmouth. Amazing diving, snorkeling and scenery. We could have stayed longer.
On 13/05/2021 it was a short drive from Coral Bay to Exmouth (the north of Ningaloo Reef). After a quick set up we investigated the town and then went out to dinner at a fabulous restaurant. The seafood we’ve had since we arrived on the WA coast has been amazing. I had the seafood curry and Paul, the seafood gumbo. Wow, best dishes we’ve had for ages consisting of soft shell crab, prawns, mussels and snapper.
On 14/05/2021, Paul got up early for a dive on the Exmouth Navy pier, one of the top 10 best shore based dives in the world. He was not disappointed seeing 6 sleeping white tipped reef sharks, shoals of big eyed Trevally and Snapper, moray eels, many big Cod and a 300kg, 2m long Grouper, known as BFG (big fat grouper), who hangs around the divers keen for attention. Due to onshore winds there were many Red Jellyfish on the surface which made the entry and exit from the dive more interesting. They are not poisonous but give a nasty sting (hoping they bugger off soon).
Bit of history…. The town of Exmouth was constructed in 1964 at the same time as the Harold E. Holt naval communications station to provide support to the base and to house dependent families of U.S. Navy personnel. The U.S. turned over control of the station to Australia in 1999 and withdrew all its personnel. It is the largest VLF (Very low frequency) installation in Southern Hemisphere used for communicating with submarines.
On 15/05/2021 we went on a coral viewing and snorkel tour to the other side of the North West Cape. We were picked up from the caravan park and driven to Tantabiddi boat ramp. Great knowledgeable crew who showed us lots of different coral and fish including 3 sleeping white tipped reef sharks. Very enjoyable snorkel. Ningaloo Reef is an incredible ‘bridge’ reef (a new term to us but means it is close to land so easy access. However, that brings other issues as it is closer to humans to ruin it! Presently it is very healthy with little bleaching. Hopefully it will stay that way.
We couldn’t understand the number of termite mounds but no trees to eat. Apparently, they drag plant roots into the mound and eat the fungi that grows on the roots. The mound has chambers that keep the temp at a constant 28c. The petentie lizard (4th largest in the world) lays their eggs in the mounds as it’s a perfect incubator. You gotta love nature!
In the evening we drove to Charles Knife Canyon in the North West Cape National Park (NP) to watch the sunset with a drink. Had we realized how amazing the NP was we’d have gone earlier to spend more time exploring. The drive and views of the canyon was incredible. After the sunset we drove back encountering a kangaroo. I wish they would stay off the roads 🤣.
On 16/05/2021, Paul had a full day to see the whale sharks. My sea legs are not good enough 😢. So I had a quiet day catching up on chores and some reading. Lovely!
Paul is a happy boy with good weather, not much swell and 6 different whale sharks all cruising slowly and happy to be filmed. A first swim with whale sharks. They are the largest fish in the sea. Locally between 3-9 meters in length. Not much is known about life cycle because once they reach 30 years of age they live at depths of up to 700m. Another fun fact is that Whale Sharks are negatively buoyant so when they want to descend, they just stop swimming and eerily sink (very beautiful to watch).
On 17/05/2021, our last day in Exmouth, we went on the Yardie Creek cruise. Good fun with a very knowledgeable guide showing us osprey, rock wallabies, mangroves and egrets to name a few.
On the way back we saw a very rough looking dingo before lunch at kurrajong beach. Too many red jellyfish for a last snorkel but we’re very happy with our Ningaloo experiences.
On 18/05/2021 we start heading east inland for a week. Firstly at a station stay, Cheela Plains.
