Everyone knows about the Great Barrier Reef on the East Coast of Australia. But nobody ever told me about a big reef system on the West Coast called Ningaloo. I was very surprised during my research before this tour to find out about it. Surely it is not as big as you could see it from space but everybody here was raving over it.
Anyway, as we drove the last 100km to Coral Bay from our free camping overnight stay we bought some snorkel equipment there. After lunch we headed onto the really nice beach and took some pictures with Charlotte's underwatercamera.
Well, I had a few problems with my snorkel equipment, so I stayed behind at the beginning to sort that out. Then I followed the others but was amazed by the reef and all the colorful fishes and drifted with the current. We have been told that it is safe to go with the current as it would automatically bring us back to a certain point on the beach. After a while when I looked up again I was shocked by how far away from the beach and how far North I have come. I swam towards the beach but it took me a long time to reach it. Also the tide was going back and the water level was getting low. It was quite scary for me to swim so close over the corals...
Finally, I made it back onto the beach but it took me over 20 minutes to walk over the sand dunes back onto the main beach. There Charlotte and Laura ran towards me screaming. I have been away for over two hours! They already informed some guards of my disappearance. There was a crowd at the beach and Charlotte already thought it was a life guard bringing in my drowned body! Now that I was still alive it was time to relax at the beach.
Some time later we also saw some rays in the very shallow water!
In the evening we went to the beach again for the sunset. It was very low tide by then but still nice. We met Clayton, a Brit who now works in WA for four years and who had some days off. He gave us some of his beer.
Back at the Bayview Caravan Park I had another beer (because why not?) and we invited Clayton to our dinner of vegetable pasta in tomato sauce. It was a really funny evening with him.
The next day we had pancakes for breakfast (because why not?) and went for a walk in the sand dunes towards the South.
There we spotted some kangaroos. Bastian got into position for some great shoots.
We walked on further and it got hotter and hotter. We have been told about turtles somewhere around the jetty but when we asked some people there they told us to go North. We just come from there!
Well, we went back to the van and had lunch. Then we decided to just lie on the beach (because why not?).
After two hours or so we girls went along the beach but this time North while Bastian has gotten on somewhere by himself. I showed them where I stranded the day before and we watched out for reef sharks which you should be able to see there. (I am glad I didn't know about the reef sharks the day before!)
Well, we certainly saw quite a few crabs along the way.
No reef sharks though. Unfortunately Laura stepped onto a small shell and it bleeded. So she had to hobble her way back. After a shower we drove just a few km to where we have been told about another free camping spot. We warmed up ready-made chicken soup with roasted vegetables and we were amazed at the sky with all the stars. We had an early night and luckily it wasn't too cold.
Our next stop: Exmouth!
Yours drifting-off Stefanie
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Have your say now! Would you do the same thing or would you do it differently? Do you have any travel tipps for me for my onwards travels? let me know!