Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Swim with the biggest fish in the sea! This tour is one not to be missed. Whale Sharks make an annual appearance in Coral Bay between March - June.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
What To Expect
Coral Bay Ecotours
Your tour begins at 7:30 am at the Coral Bay Ecotours office, followed by a short bus transfer to the jetty to board the vessel. Then we head out for your first reef snorkel experience in the beautiful coral gardens, where you may encounter numerous fish, reef sharks, and other marine species. After morning tea, we begin our journey to the outer reef. By this time our spotter plane is already searching for our whale sharks and informing us of any other exciting marine life spotted along the way! We will do our best to allow you to experience as much wildlife as possible during our tour. Once our spotter plane has found a whale shark, our boat will make its way there. Guests will be split into 2 groups of 10 and take turns to swim with the whale shark. To ensure that we don’t disturb its natural habits, we are allowed a maximum one hour of swimming time with the whale shark. We stop along the way home for a second reef snorkel at a different site.
Options
Whale Shark Safari
What‘s Included
Afternoon tea
Tour escort/host
Lunch
Photo Package
Glass of Champagne
Coffee and/or Tea
Additional DPaW fee payable prior to departure ($20 per adult and $10 per child)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
165 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Spectacular!!!
jhE8591NU,Jun 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Spectacular! Our day had perfect weather, a whale shark was found quite quickly. There was an abundance of marine life seen whilst you were in or out of the water Dolphins (mum and bub), dugongs (mum and bub), turtles, tiger sharks, stunning coral and fish. Even the crew were enjoying the sightings. The crew were so helpful and informative Jess, Jessie, Ellie, Michael and Paul (skipper). Morning, afternoon tea also lunch supplied with crew coming around as well with snacks. The day went so quickly Highly recommend this cruise!
ECOTOURS Swimming with the Whalesharks.....Brilliant!!!
rovinsil,May 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Absolutely brilliant day. So well organised and very professional. The crew were amazing and made sure that my husband and I, both in our 70s, were looked after in the water as we aren't confident snorkellers. The meals provided were great and the professional photos sent to us afterwards were fantastic. We got to swim with a whaleshark twice, snorkelled around the reef and had the company of a pod of dolphins, a hammerhead shark and a tiger shark along the way. You cant go wrong booking this tour with this company. Thanks for a great day Matt, Marina, Mark, Esther and Ellie. You are all awesome at your job.
Whale shark snorkel
Peter R,May 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent organisation and management of whole activity. Expert leaders and fine communication.
Professional wonderful crew
lynnemichelle2016,May 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Highly professional crew. As a nervous open ocean swimmer the staff looked after me. At no stage did i feel unsafe swimming with the majestic whale shark I liked the pre snorkel in reef too to ensure our gear was right . A wonderful day out finishing with a surprise bday muffin and sing along for my husband. Thanks guys not 5 stars 6!
✔️ on the bucket list - truely amazing!!
mrncraw,May 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An amazing day, the boat crew were spot on, always keeping up informed of what was happening, when things could/did happen. Plenty to eat/drink, plenty space to move around. The crew were awesome with people who also needed time out!
Amazing Whale-Shark Safari
sergiobR4209XF,May 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Really well-organized tour. All the guides, the skipper, and the photographer were great, and they made sure we had the best experience out on the ocean. It’s better if you can swim quite well, because sometimes the waves and currents can be a bit strong.
Best day ever for an unforgettable experience
Cathybccc,May 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00BIG bucket list ✔️ and without a doubt right up there as one of the BEST DAYS EVER! 🐋✨ From the moment we were picked up and fitted into our wetsuits, we knew the day was going to be something special — easy, exciting and so much fun from start to finish. The crew were absolutely incredible: professional, knowledgeable, energetic and genuinely fun to spend the day with. Nothing was ever too much trouble and the attention to detail made the whole experience feel so special. And then came the magic… FOUR whale shark swims 🤯 plus swimming alongside manta rays, turtles, reef sharks and endless stunning fish in the crystal-clear waters of Ningaloo. Every single moment felt surreal. The captain went out of his way to ensure we saw a tiger shark and Dugongs !! Pure magic I felt safe and looked after the entire day, which made it easy to completely relax and soak up every second of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. And the cherry on top? Hot towels and champagne to celebrate afterwards 🥂 — the perfect ending to the most unforgettable day ever. Having a photographer onboard to capture all the memories was just incredible too. Already dreaming of doing it all again! 💙
A bucket list item
T1832GBheleng,May 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had a fantastic day out and was very lucky to see so many animals, whale shark, turtles, tawny and reef sharks, manta rays and the bonus was a mother and baby dugong. The crew were always on the lookout and looked after the passengers really well. I would thoroughly recommend this tour.
Just do it !
nickyp891,May 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fantastic crew, felt safe and calm. All ages and swimming abilities were catered for. The communication between pilot and captain Paul was terrific and perseverance from them both found us a whale shark. Marco the deckhand got us in the water with great instructions and Elle and Chris were great in the water ! Laura the photographer excelled capturing everything . Under challenging conditions the crew ensured we had the best experience with the whale shark and the captain kept all swimmers safe and the whale shark with his expert manoeuvring of the boat. It was an exceptional day and the photos keep our memories intact!
Disappointed
804lesleyh,May 17, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00I must first say, the staff were brilliant. I have no problems with them. Having said that I was incredibly disappointed with this tour. I know it is wildlife and sightings are not guaranteed however I have waited over 20 years to do this trip, literally a once in a lifetime for my 62nd birthday the day after. The day of my birthday was fully booked. I am not the most competent in the water but was made to feel safe with the staff. we had 1 snorkel in the inner reef, which was lovely. we then made our way to the open ocean. I understand the whale sharks are difficult to find. we spent probably 2 hours driving around before the crew decided to get us back in the water as people were getting a bit bored, The skipper took us to another snorkel site and I didnt get in the water this time as I was feeling a little sea sick, I took the 2nd pill of the day and felt better when they climbed back on board. The skipper then said there was a whale shark at the original place and we hot footed it back. We were prepared and ready on the marlin board and we saw a fin, the crew said , get in get in and the whale shark just dived to the depths. we hung around for a little while and were then informed the dive was over and we would now have lunch, it was 15.50. Immediately after the lunch we headed back to the marina. We had been fed banana bread and biscuits up until this point. I did not see the whale shark except for the fin, after we disembarked I was told, sorry you didnt see it but that unfortunately, we had signed to say we understand the sighting is not guaranteed. I was so disappointed, it was a very expensive boat ride. 613 Aussie dollars is not cheap. I have spoken to others since and was advised to book at Exmouth, the will arrange another tour if no sighting.
Related Experiences
Operated by Coral Bay Ecotours