G’day Mates

The next two days were spent at my favorite destination: Coral Bay and Ningaloo Reef. This area is home to one of the largest and most diverse reefs on the western coast of Australia. Coral bay offers a variety of activities such as riding ATV’s along the coast and through the desert, snorkeling with diverse wildlife on a glass bottom boat, and even swimming with whale sharks. While some of our group chose the latter, I decided to take the glass bottom boat tour. Funny thing about choosing this tour is that I almost didn’t get a chance to go on it.

Since our tour started at noon, our fearless leader Craig decided he wanted to take the bus out for an adventure on some ATV trails. He had never been out there so he wanted to take a look. Having plenty of time, a group of us went along for the ride. About 10 miles out we enter the course and it is pretty rough. The bus had to climb some large boulders and bounce along a bumpy, rocky road. The path took us to a deserted coastal access road. We round a corner and find ourselves sliding down a very steep sand dune toward the water. We are well short of the coast but we find ourselves stuck in about 2 feet of sand. For about two hours we try desperately to push the bus free but without any luck. In this situation we found out a very true Australian cultural value. When Australians are stuck in a situation where they need help, they would rather die than call someone to come and get them. And that’s pretty much what we did. It was a searing 105 degree day and the flies were hungry. Eventually Craig did call but since it was Easter weekend, no one answered. After about a half hour, we finally got the bus out by ripping out bushes and placing them under the tires (sorry Mother Nature). With minutes to spare we made it to the boat for our afternoon trip. As Nick always says “It’s not the times you are lounging around on the beach or eating a fancy meal that you remember, it’s always the times that things go wrong which make which make the best stories.”

Exhausted from pushing a bus all day, we finally got to relax, feel the cool breeze, and see some amazing things on our glass boat tour. Almost like watching TV, the glass bottom boat provided a clear image of the ocean below as turtles, sea cucumbers, and even a shark appeared beneath the glass. The boat had an upper deck which was perfect for getting a good view of the wild life. At one point we got to go snorkeling in an area known for sharks, and yes, I did swim with a shark! I don’t think I will ever forget the feeling of swimming near something you know has the power to kill you and yet is so hard to take your eyes off of. It was an incredible experience that words cannot describe. This is the kind of thing I’ve always dreamed of doing and it was why I wanted to come to Australia. This day was one of the most action-packed days of my life, experiencing up and downs and sharks along the way. 

Nurse Shark

Sea Turtle

Captain Andrew at the helm

Location: Coral Bay, Australia