The Beautiful Coral Bay

11 - 18 July

Back on the road this morning for the 150kms to Coral Bay. The trip up here was thankfully uneventful and we arrived soon after lunch.

We no sooner had pulled in than we had decided to extend our stay here, it is beautiful. We thought rather than go up and spend four nights at Exmouth where you have to drive 50 kms to get to the beach we would stay here and take a day trip up there. The office were able to find us somewhere for the extra four days, only problem was we would have to move twice.  Oh well it was a price we were willing to pay for the extension.

 

Pat and Ron were our neighbours and like a number of others were staying there for a few months from Perth or the south of WA. They had been coming to Coral Bay for over 30 years. What a lovely couple they were and made us all feel very welcome.

 

So after setting up we went down to the beach and the kids had a little snorkel and a splash around. TJ and I were trying to decide which tour to do as I was keen to get out to the outer reef and snorkel but we weren't sure how the kids would go.

Day 2 was a test day to see how well the kids could snorkel. So we went down the beach and walked out to the reef which was about 25 metres from the shore. They all went ok but we were still a bit apprehensive about how they would go out at sea. Anyway we thought we would give it a try and booked a trip for the next day which was called an Eco Tour and was meant to give us a chance to snorkel with the manta rays.

Another BBQ dinner and early to bed ready for the big day. Did I tell you how good the weather is??

We have been in shorts and thongs, lots of sunscreen and time in the water. Beautiful.

Saturday morning we awoke to another magnificent day and rushed out for an 8am start. We all were fitted for  wetsuits and flippers, hopped on the bus and went the 3 minutes down to the boat ramp.

Neither of the boys were very impressed as they only had pink wetsuits but they did get over it. As we headed out to sea we were given a safety talk and told what to expect. The first snorkel gave us a chance to see how the kids would go and we had a ball. Milly came out with me and Linc with TJ. Patch was scared when I tried to take him with me but settled down when Charlotte, one of the crew took him.

We got to see some amazing fish and coral although it is not as colourful as the Great Barrier Reef the shapes and types of coral were amazing to look at. I even got a glimpse at a turtle. Next stop was to swim with the Manta rays. They had a spotter plane that located one and off we went. They split us up into three groups and the five of us were in group two. We waited for the first group who were swimming quickly trying to keep up with a ray. Then a second one was spotted and we got into the water quickly. We were lucky enough to get 15 minutes or more just floating with this amazing creature as it fed. He did this by opening his mouth and then doing big barrel rolls under the water. we were just blown away by the size, over 2 metres across, and gracefulness. TJ named them the ghosts of the sea which was appropriate as it appeared to just drift along.

The kids were a little scared but it was still incredible.

 

 

 

 

We met a nice couple from Melbourne, Graeme and Chris, who had come down through Broome and Karijini who gave us some good info on where to stay and what to see.

Then we had some lunch as we drove some  more. The captain spotted some whales on the other side of the reef and as the ocean was so calm he decided to go and investigate. How good was it? We got in amongst a dozen or more humpback whales as the migrated north. We took some pics but they cannot truly show the majestic nature of these giants as they swim along. Unfortunately Milly got a bit sea sick but still got to enjoy the whales with us.

 

We then got to see dolphins, turtles, a dugong,  an eagle turtle and even some squid. Then a final dive which was even better than the first. At one stage Lincoln, Patrick and I were less than two metres away from a turtle as it swam by us. We saw some magnificent and unusual shaped and coloured fish. WOW!!!

What a fantastic day!!! We all had a blast and I am sure it is something that we will all remember for a long time.

Then just to top off an already great day we were back at the van when the office called to let us know they had managed to juggle things and we would be able to stay on our site for the rest of the week.

Sunday was a day around the van where we did some catch up work and then down to the beach in the afternoon to watch the fish feeding. This was amazing as we stood in knee deep water and were given some food to drop into these huge North West snapper swimming around us. They were enormous and would have made a lovely dinner for the whole family, shame it is a sanctuary area.

 

Monday was another day around the van with a couple of trips to the beach for a snorkel and the fish feeding. I made a chair for TJ and myself which the kids thought was cool. Before I knew it I had helped all of them build their own and we were all side by side enjoying the view and just relaxing. Patch went that little bit further and decided to dig a hole for his bucket which he filled with water and put his feet in, very ingenious. 

Tuesday we left early for a trip to Exmouth.  150kms to the township where we did a bit of shopping. Took a pic of the big whale shark and checked in at the Information Centre to make sure we knew the sights to see.

Then we went to the Lighthouse that gave a magnificent view over the township on one side and the reef on the other side. This sight was used as a radar station during WW2 and there were sandbags still in place, unbelievable.

 

Then we headed down to Oyster stacks  which is a beautiful snorkelling spot about 60kms from Exmouth in Cape Range NP. What a fantastic spot where people were just swimming out a few metres and drifting across the reef. It was a bit hard for our kids so we decided just to use it as a lunch stop. We set up on the beach and had the lovely fresh prawns just bought from Kaylis fish shop in town.

 

Then up the road a few kms to Turquoise Bay as mentioned in "Are we there yet" where you can swim out a few metres and the get carried in the current across the reef. Unfortunately it was a bit windy and the current a bit strong so the kids weren't very happy going out and I wasn't confident enough to juggle them all in the strong rip without flippers. Still a lovely spot where the dessert meets the ocean and the reef is literally only a few metres off the beach. We all agreed though that we had better snorkelling at our beach in Coral Bay.

 

 

 

Back in the car and off home.

A big day of sightseeing and over 450kms driving.

We are glad we went up there but are very happy with our decision to stay in Coral Bay for the extra four nights instead of Exmouth. We are able to walk to the beach instead of having to drive the 40 kms we would have had to do everyday if we had stayed in Exmouth.

Next day was a bit windier so we didn't spend much time at the beach but it was still warm enough for a quick swim. The rest of the time TJ spent spring cleaning the van and hanging around the park. We headed down the beach for  fish feeding at 3.30. This was great fun and hopefully some of the pictures came out alright.

What a lovely place Coral Bay is and we have had an absolutely fantastic time here.

 

Tomorrow morning we move onto to Tom Price and Karijini, over  550 kms.