Whale Shark Safari

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. 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.

   7 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 173 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5The most incredible tour and company!

  Swimming with whale sharks has been on our bucket list for years, and my boyfriend and I couldn’t have imagined a better experience than our Whale Shark Safari with Coral Bay Eco Tours! The crew were absolutely amazing—so knowledgeable, friendly, and genuinely passionate about what they do. I was really nervous about getting into the open water, but Ellie was incredibly kind and supportive. She stayed by my side the whole time, reassured me, and made sure I felt safe and comfortable. I honestly don’t think I could have done it without her! We saw an incredible amount of wildlife throughout the day, including reef sharks, rays, turtles, humpback whales, and of course, the stars of the show—the whale sharks! We were even lucky enough to witness the rare sight of whale sharks feeding on a bait ball, which made an already unforgettable day even more special. After researching and hearing about several different companies, I’m so glad we chose Coral Bay Eco Tours. The boat was spacious and comfortable, there was plenty of delicious food provided throughout the day, and every part of the experience was exceptionally well organised. This was everything we’d hoped for and more. I would recommend Coral Bay Eco Tours time and time again, and we’ll absolutely book with them again whenever we are lucky enough to return. 5 stars isn’t enough—if I could give more, I would! Don’t hesitate to book—you won’t regret it⭐️

  Emilygalloway1999July 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Whale shark

  The staff was extremely welcoming, the food was delicious, the experience was nothing like I have ever done before, they pointed out all the sea life and slowed down for use to see everything. Overall I highly recommend this tour

  crystal3820June 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Experience of a Lifetime

  Staff: caring and extremely friendly. Safety: 10/10. So professional, kept it simple and safe. Experience=next level! 4 swims with whale shark, multiple hump back sightings, snorkelling w/ sea turtles, loggerhead, trumpet fish, dusky whaler, massive schools and incredible coral reef. Seeing this majestic creature so close made me cry. I’m still pinching myself. Yes you’re wet and cold (it’s winter!) but lean in to the discomfort and appreciate this incredible opportunity. Great great crew and experience 🙏🙏🙏

  jacquiejoyJune 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Phenomenal swim with whale sharks

  This was genuinely an experience of a lifetime. I was completely blown away. My daughter who is 24 yrs said it was probably the best day of her life!! Our crew Paul, Marina, Paula, Ellie, Shayla & Laura couldn’t have been better even when the large tiger shark came to have a look! Thank you so much and the photos we received are SPECTACULAR!!

  marymC3987URJune 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Best day ever!

  This was genuinely the best day of my life, such an incredible experience with fantastic crew! Our guides Ellie and Ellie were absolutely fantastic, they were so friendly and enthusiastic and this really made the experience. It was lovely seeing the all of the crew share our joy, this tour is a must do whilst in coral bay! We were able to swim with the whale shark 5 times and visited some stunning coral reefs where we saw green sea turtles, white tip reef sharks and rays. We even saw a humpback whale!

  evaeJ31OUJune 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Fabulous tour, a must do!

  This tour was fantastic! The whole crew was informative and helpful! Our guides were Mike and Ashley and they did an amazing job letting the group know about the wildlife and the expectations of the passengers, both in and out of the water, Pedro was a great help on deck, our Skipper Matt was a professional at handling the boat, and Louis did a fabulous job with the photography! My whole family loved the experience on our visit from the US, and we'd do it again!

  E8762QSrobynhJune 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Coral Bay

• Its from-price is 49% above the median of the 12 experiences we list in Coral Bay.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 3 of 12.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Coral Bay

Coral Bay is a tiny resort village on Western Australia's Ningaloo Coast, where a fringing coral reef lies just metres from the beach.

Coral Bay is a small settlement of caravan parks, a shop and a handful of places to stay, set on a curve of white sand on the Ningaloo Coast of Western Australia. The nearest large town is far away across red earth and low scrub, and the reef is the reason the village exists.

See all 12 experiences in Coral Bay