Live Ningaloo — Local services in Exmouth

Majestic whale sharks, amazing care from the Live Ningaloo team (and only 10 on board - bonus).

Review of Swim with Whale Sharks Adventure Day from Exmouth Wow, wow, wow! An unforgetable experience. Monday 7th June 2021. Live Ningaloo is the only boat that takes only 10 people making for a wonderful day filled with snorkelling !

We were picked up from our resort at 8am by Shannon (warm, friendly) and taken to the boat harbour. Within a few moments our skipper Curtis appeared and took us directly to the boat. Everything was then super efficient - safety briefing, details for our day, gear and introductions. Our crew for the day was Curtis (skipper), Sarah and Shannon (deck hands) and Kyle Bowman (photographer).

A short snorkel to ensure everything was functioning and it was out to the outside of the reef and the "whale sharks". A little choppy on the outside of the reef but it's open ocean so to be expected. The water wasn't cold but the wetsuit provided was gratefully accepted as it gives you buoyancy.

Within 20minutes our first whale shark was spotted (via aircraft and another boat) and we all put on our gear, lined up at the back of the boat and followed Shannon into the water, forming a straight line. A few seconds later the whale shark emerged to our left and we swam with it. They are such huge and majestic creatures - with little fish catching a ride on their sides and back. It was amazing and so enjoyable. I swam with another lady for at least 200metres before the whale shark outpaced us. The team at Live Ningaloo pick you up as soon as you finish swimming - be that only a short distance from the boat or further away. And you always feel safe.

Kyle is a super fish - always in the water looking for whale sharks and taking photos (fantastic photography - and all photos are included as part of the package - sent within a week via Dropbox). Awesome pics Kyle - thank you :)

After whale shark swim #1 you feel incredibly exhilirated - a real treat seeing this amazing creature. But then I had swim #2, #3 and #4 (with only 2 others still going for swim #5) - and all seeing different whale sharks - the largest was 7metres long!

I was a little sea sick in the water (yes, it's called "feeding the fish") but the crew, led by Curtis, were incredibly kind, caring and attentive and I continued swimming with the whale sharks (as a little sea sickness is easily overcome by the mission of seeing and swimming with whale sharks). After the swim I was given a pillow and had a lie down up near the skipper. Thanks to the team for their amazing kindness.

After we were all "exhausted" from seeing and swimmming with so many whale sharks we went back into the protected side of the reef for a final snorkel and celebration of the end of an incredible day. And we were dropped back to our resort by 3pm.

A stunning day I'll...

What A Whale(Shark) Of A Time!

It's always a great sign - in my opinion - when, if you're going out on a day trip, whatever it is, that the upbeat mood starts upon being picked up. Especially if one is tad sunburnt after a couple of wine-soaked hours asleep on the beach the day prior, followed by a full night of work and very little kip after that.

Fortunately, in my dazed and confused state, I was greeted by Justin, Live Ningaloo's resident driver, MC, and - very importantly - photographer.

Easy, smoothe and educational drive to the reef, not just talking to the specifically-limited group of ten were going to witness when we got there, but also education about the sites en route: for a Queenslander from the GC who arrived here via Toronto, Canada - as I did myself - he was well-informed on local history.

Anyway, to the point, or this could turn into War and Peace.

Arrived at the mooring point, introduced to skipper Zach and his mo, then off to the minimal but stunning boat to take our limited party to find some whalesharks.

And that we did, almost instantly.

I will try at some point, but to describe the elegance and sheer beauty of these creatures is hard to do - and I pride myself on my own abilities when it comes to my mother tongue!

The conditions were not ideal for snorkelling, as 'twas a little choppy out there, but you could see every shade of blue and white on these huge yet graceful creatures.

This went on for a couple of hours - one was around us for about 45 minutes in one hit - but that was shark morning done.

Time for a spot of beautiful and healthy lunch, courtesy of local cafe Bamboo, and then a quick jaunt to the lagoon for the final snorkel of the day to witness some of the smaller fish the reef boasts, and some beautiful, slightly more colourful coral (most of which I missed due to a mask and snorkel explosion episode - thanks for your help on that one Katie!).

Then back to the boat, wetsuits off, sat on the front deck, bubbles in hand. The end to a perfect day.

You've seen my rating - if I could give it 6* I would - impeccable from start to...

Wow, what a baller of a day! An unreal experience and one of the best moments in my life! We started the tour off with a small snorkel in one of the inner reefs, seeing an abundance of fish and beautiful coral. The tour started to head out past the reef breaks into open water seeing humback whales and humpback dolphins on the way. Once we hit open water, WHALE SHARKS! What a thrill it was, the first shark measuring about 5 metres, but the second shark, I couldn't believe how big the second whale shark was, pushing 10 metres I reckon. The 'Big Boy', was just cruising along, showing off almost, allowing us 20 minutes of his breathtaking beauty. On the way back in we stopped for our last snorkel and had the opportunity to see a Black Tip Reef Shark, a local Hawks Bill Sea Turtle called 'Chippy', because of chip on the back of it's shell and some more awesome sea life.

The Crew,

Captain Nick, steady but surely got us to wear we needed to be in the most comfortable fashion, the boat ride was cruisey and enjoyable and dropped us off in prime snorkeling locations.

Sam, her knowledge of the Whale Sharks, Turtles, Humbacks and all other sealife was truly inspiring, she also kept us in best possible spot to see the Whale Sharks up close.

Ella, also having a great array of knowledge had me asking more and more questions, her ability to capture this whole experience with her photographical expertise, is why I believe this company is the one to go with.

Dan, aka Surf Bruv, what a great dude, his help around the boat from food prep, pouring drinks, keeping everyone in check and helping the tour goers back on the boat after a snorkel, but most importantly, linking me to the local surf spots! 🤙🏽

Hannah, the apprentice extraordinaire, her first day on the job and killing it, her help around the boat and passion for the job was exemplary, her face once we got out the water after seeing the 'Big Boy' whale shark, shows how much this job means to her.

Thanks all, 10/10 will be using Live...