1/22/2023 0 Comments Kaleidoscope image seaIt was discovered by a Scottish inventor, David Brewster.īrewster derived the name from ancient Greek terms. But, it wasn’t until 1815 that the full kaleidoscope effect was realised. Another highlight is the turtle cleaning station, where green sea turtles and occasionally loggerheads or hawksbills enjoy a spa treatment.Īre you ready to step up, help save the ocean, and #LiveUnfiltered at the same time? Sign up for a PADI Open Water Diver course now.Reflecting patterns through mirrors has been around for hundreds of years. It’s not unusual for a bolder sea snake to examine itself playfully in your mask. Thanks to local no take laws, the wildlife here is noticeably relaxed and willing to cruise along with divers-sometimes they’re even a bit curious. It’s also a go-to spot for octopus, sweet lips, batfish, moray eels, groupers, blue spotted rays and many of Western Australia’s 20-plus varieties of sea snake. The crevices draw in a diverse array of marine life, from white tips napping in caves to crayfish crawling over staghorns and gorgonian sea fans to schools of fusiliers deftly navigating coral outcrops. Labyrinth at Lighthouse BayĪ local favorite, the aptly named Labyrinth features a maze of limestone craters and swim-throughs that can disorient the uninitiated. But during Ningaloo’s humpback whale season (July-October) the most exhilarating part of your dive may be what you can hear an invisible chorus of chirps and moans that seem close, but just out of reach. Even when the rays don’t make an appearance, there’s plenty to see, including octopus, stingrays, sweet lips, angelfish, goatfish, rabbitfish, massive schools of fusilier and the site’s namesake potato cod. The site’s large bommie (a coral outcrop) serves as a cleaning station for rays as well as turtles and white tips. Many divers at Ningaloo are on the lookout for manta rays and, despite its name, this relatively far-flung site (a 1.5 hour boat ride from shore) is one place you’re likely to find them. Charismatic species like leopard sharks, manta rays and lemon sharks patrol the perimeter of the reef, while shovelnose guitarfish bury themselves, blinking conspicuously at passersby. While schools of bream, parrotfish and pufferfish circle overhead, immense stingrays wedge themselves underneath the coral structures. Don’t let the shallowness (20-30 feet) of the site fool you-there’s magic hiding in the sand and underneath the impressive, healthy Porites coral bommies that give the area its name. Situated across from a Cape Range National Park’s ranger posts, this under-the-radar gem is frequented by liveaboards and snorkelers. Currently, Dive Ningaloo is the only operator to hold a license for scuba diving tours at the Navy Pier. The pier stands alone on an isolated part of the coast that is not accessible to the general public (or fishermen) as it still occasionally services the nearby Australian naval base. Diving here can feel a bit like dipping into an aquarium filled with creatures of every shape look for wobbegongs, gray nurse sharks, scorpion fish, snappers, nudibranchs, Moorish idols, parrotfish, sea snakes, cuttlefish and the BFG (Big Friendly Grouper), a beloved resident that somehow has developed a knack for sneaking up on divers despite his 600-pound-plus size. It attracts-at last count-over 200 different species. No trip to Ningaloo is complete without a dive (or several) at the 300-meter Navy Pier, which is frequently rated as one of the top ten shore dives in the world. Hard-to-reach also means fewer visitors, so the coral is pristine and full of flourishing fish. While it’s a journey to reach one of the most far-flung parts of this vast country, the reef’s spectacular wilderness is within easy reach once you arrive: Because Ningaloo is a near-shore reef system, most of its 200-plus dive sites are a mere 20-30 minutes away by boat. Come during the right season, and it’s possible to check a mess of charismatic megafauna off your bucket list. Ningaloo boasts the biggest known aggregation of whale sharks (March-July) and is a nursery for some 35,000 migrating humpback whales (July-October). These sprawling 185-plus miles are a biodiversity hotbed, housing 700 species of reef fish and more than 300 types of coral, as well as rare and endangered animals like dugongs, manta rays, dolphins, tiger sharks, loggerhead turtles and leopard sharks. The world’s longest fringing reef, it stretches from the seabeds of Carnarvon's Red Bluff to the Muiron Islands and Exmouth Gulf's Bundegi Beach. While that particular natural wonder tends to get all the glory (it can be seen from space, after all), Australia's other UNESCO World Heritage-listed reef-Ningaloo on Western Australia’s Coral Coast-is equally worth a visit. Mention "diving" and "Australia" to most people and Queensland's Great Barrier Reef is practically guaranteed to be the first topic of conversation.
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