Best Western Sea Breeze Resort Exmouth - Ningaloo Reef3 1/2 Star Rating
Axel
These tips have been exclusivly compiled for you by Axel Passeck, owner and Manager of the Best Western Sea Breeze Resort, who has been living and working in the tourism industry at Ningaloo Reef for the last 10 years.

What is the best time?

In over a decade in the industry, I think the later in the season you book, the more value you get! You have better chances to get 'bonus' Manta Rays and Humpback Whales, yet the temperature is getting colder! Mind you the water temperature never goes below 22 degrees Celcius!! If you can, try to avoid the School Holidays! Regardless, the best experience and value for your money are reflected in our Whale Shark Packages.

Could I do that?

Almost everybody can do it! Our daughter Nami was the youngest ever, when she was only 3 years old! On the other hand the oldest Lady was 93 when a massive 9m Whale Shark came straight towards us!  You don't have to be a scuba diver or olympic swimmer! Just tell us what level you are and the crew will make sure you will be looked after!

Scuba diving or Snorkeling?

Over the years the tours have developed from scuba diving to snorkeling to insure the best interaction and time on the sharks!
Whale Sharks are fish and do not need to come to the surface for air! The ones who are on the surface however, seem to swim along and can be seen in the best light. Until people would get into their scuba gear, sorted and ready to go in, they may have missed it and can not keep up with sharks. While snorkeling allows you to swim longer and faster, you are able to stay longer with the Shark!
Water absorbs light especially the color red! Only 3 m of water are enough to almost fully absorb it.
Therefore the best view and color of the shark is near the surface.
Some operators combine scuba diving with Whale Sharking. This has been proven unsuccessful over and over again.
The scuba divers are not happy to have their dive cut short, when a Whale Shark is sighted just minutes into their dive!
The snorkelers are not happy waiting an hour at anchor for the scubas divers to finish their dive!
I therefore do not recommend this type of tour.
Threat the diving as diving and the Whale Sharking as a very special day of it;s own and you will get the most out of both!


How does it work - a Whale Shark Tour in a nutshell

About 7:40am you will get picked up by a small tour operator bus from the Best Western Sea Breeze Resort and you will be transfered to the Tantabiddi Boat Ramp at Ningaloo Reef. From here you will be ferried by small tender boats to the Whale Shark boats (usually converted cray boats 30-70ft long).
After a quick safety briefing you will be taken to a nice snorkel spot in the lagoon to check out your snorkeling skills and to make sure everybody is compfy in the water! This snorkeling is done on great sites with very old coral bommies (formations) and a great density and diversity of marine life.
Ones everyone has 'cooled off' morning tea is followed by a Whale Shark Interaction Briefing and then you travel from the lagoons out onto the Indian Ocean!
At around 9:30am the first planes are up to search for the Whale Sharks! At the back of the fringing Ningaloo Reef we sometimes find Manta Rays, Humpback Whales, Turtles, Dolphins, Eagle Rays and of course the big and beautiful Whale Sharks! On a great day (almost every day in 2009 and 10) within minutes the spotter plane finds a Whale Shark and you get in to snorkel along them!
Only a maximum of 10 passengers are allowed in the water at one time, plus a dive master and videographer!

Ones everybody is happy or worn out, lunch appears on deck and the search might continiue for more Whale Sharks or Mantas, Humpbacks. Sometimes the wind picks up and the skipper decides to 'nick' back into the lagoons to go for another snorkel, rather bash into the wind and waves for 2 hours. Usually the tour finishes off back on the mooring around 15:00 , back in town around 4pm!

Another tip: If you take your camera along, PLEASE DONT USE IT ON YOUR FIRST SWIM! You will spoil your day!
Enjoy the first time only focusing on the shark not on your camera! You risk to stuff up both, your pics and your experience!
On the next few drops by all means take it and go for glory! With the experience and excitement of the first run out of the way you will now be 'cool' to take a great picture!

One more tip: Buy the Video! It is a great 'documentary' of this day! Make sure you tell the videographer at the beginning of the trip that you are interested and he/she will make sure that you are covered in the video! All is filmed in HD so you get a great quality DVD to show your friends and family back home! You will kick yourself when you are back home and missed out!

What if I don't see a Whale Shark?

Please plan enough time in Exmouth so that you can take advantage of the non sighting policy! Remember you are coming a long way for this life changing experience! You need to know about the Non Sighting Policy. Ningaloo's Operators put so much trust in their operations to almost 'guarantee' you a swim with these gentle giants.This is how it works: You go out and for what ever reason the Whale Sharks don’t come to the surface. After all it is the wilderness and not a zoo!
The Sharks are there but in a depth where the spotter plane pilots can’t see them. So the Whale Shark is in charge if he wants to be on the surface or not! Remember the Whale Shark is the largest FISH in the ocean, at a size of a Whale! Whale Sharks don’t need to come to the surface to breath they are there for food and soaking up the warmth of the water! So sometimes it happens that there are no Whale Sharks on the surface and the day passes by without a sighting. So the operators now offering anyone on board another day out FOR FREE! Please note that observers ( people who have been booked on board for the day out, not to swim with the Whale Sharks ) are NOT eligible for the free rerun!
This 'free' run is only available to the next available spot which may not be the next day! Please plan enough time for this possible re-run. However if you are unable to take the free re-run, you can get a voucher for later in the season or the following season.
One big thing is that all operators are only allowed under their license to operate with a max of 20 people ( 2 groups at max 10 snorkelers in the water at one time! ) They may add a dive master and a videographer so a max of 12 people all up in the water at one time! This insures that the Whale Shark interaction is controlled and insures a minimum impact on the sharks!
Home Contact Us Employment Compendium Terms of Use Privacy Policy Partners Global Site
Best Western hotels are independently owned and operated. © Best Western International, Inc. All rights reserved.