On the road again and we crossed the tropic of Capricorn on our way to Coral Bay. Along with the obligatory photos Jared thought it a good idea to try something a little different!
We had already reserved places on the boat trip that would take us out into the bay to swim with Manta Rays so Ana, Jill, Theresa and I all boarded the boat along with about 30 others. Jared stayed behind with Nalli and Emilia who snorkelled and swam off the beach there. The boat was crowded and getting kitted up with fins and masks etc. tricky - getting safely into the water even more so. I should add here that by the second swim, people were either tired or sea sick so getting in and out of the water much easier. The first swim was probably the best of the three as it wasn't too rough but the title of this blog gives away the fact that regardless of how long the spotter plane was up (about 90 minutes) no Mantas were seen. This was disappointing but we did get to see a tiger shark up close to the boat, loads of turtles and about 15 Humpback dolphins. These have a much longer snout and a more rounded dorsal fin. The images below are just a few examples of what we saw though these are not my photos but those taken by the professional on board.
So although we never saw any Mantas we had a fabulous day out on the water and sunburnt hands notwithstanding, the best day so far.
On returning to the bus, we were then driven further north towards our final destination - Exmouth. On the way we were driven past the 'entrance' to the Ningaloo coast and paused for another group photo, this time with actions. Also, Jared took us up to a look out spot above Exmouth where deep gorges had formed in the hills. This was quite a surprise and totally unexpected. We were to spend the next two nights at the Pot Shot backpacker giving us a chance to actually relax and not have to dash off early the next day though Ana had elected to go on a long dive on the Navy peer so not so relaxing for her. I also taught the three of them how to play seven's so a holiday tradition was maintained.
On returning to the bus, we were then driven further north towards our final destination - Exmouth. On the way we were driven past the 'entrance' to the Ningaloo coast and paused for another group photo, this time with actions. Also, Jared took us up to a look out spot above Exmouth where deep gorges had formed in the hills. This was quite a surprise and totally unexpected. We were to spend the next two nights at the Pot Shot backpacker giving us a chance to actually relax and not have to dash off early the next day though Ana had elected to go on a long dive on the Navy peer so not so relaxing for her. I also taught the three of them how to play seven's so a holiday tradition was maintained.