November 11th-15th, 2011- Peoples Caravan Park, Coral Bay

Friday morning saw us pack up and make the short 150Km journey south to Coral Bay. We checked into Peoples Caravan Park about 11am. What a beautiful park and location. Water supply is very salty so we decided to operate off our tanks and use shower blocks for our stay. Terry & Di booked a site right on the waterfront while the rest of us booked into the back area of the park. Only a short 2 minute walk to the beach and $10 less per night. We set up and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon at the beach. Water is very shallow for quite a distance before dropping off quickly to the Ningaloo Reef. We saw a number of fish and stingrays in the shallows. What a great place this will be for snorkeling as only a very short swim out to the Reef. Seems to be a very popular place with young families and foreign tourists. Not much to town other than caravan parks and resorts. Very few permanent residential properties.

Saturday morning we took a walk along the beach to a secluded cove where there is a natural shark nursery. They were harmless reef sharks and we saw about 15 at fairly close range. Water is beautiful and wonderful colours. Sadly we saw a dead sea turtle on the beach. Didn't smell good!

Reef Shark Nursery

Later in the day some of us did some snorkeling. Warm weather today but windy as usual in this area.
The snorkeling was good with lots of fish and amazing coral formations. Only a short swim from the beach. Lots of relaxation on the beach.

Sunday morning saw all of us but Terry take a 3 hour cruise on a glass bottom boat. I have to give Carol credit for most of the pictures of our stay in Coral Bay as the Ransleys are the only ones with a camera that works underwater. She got some great shots which we will be showing on our Blog. We toured out over the reef for about 45 minutes enjoying all the amazing Coral formations through the glass bottom. Very shallow and clear water so we had a great view. Only 13 out of possible 30 on cruise so all had great views. We stopped for a 20 minute snorkel over this shallow reef formation. Sandra was very brave and joined me. She was a bit nervous but did very well and got more confident as we went along. She was soon freezing so climbed back on board for a hot cup of tea. The variety and amount of fish were incredible. There were hundreds near the boat and they practically came up to touch you in the water. Beautiful. The coral has so many beautiful shapes and looks like a manicured underwater garden. Mostly greens and browns because of the type of coral but some beautiful purples, blues, and yellows as well.

We all loaded back in the boat for hot drinks while we moved on to our second stop. This location was considerably deeper than the first. Sandra was brave and went back in for a short snorkel around the boat. Stephen and I went for a longer exploration after Sandra had returned to the boat. Incredible! At one point I swam over coral that was only a couple of feet below the surface before it dropped over a cliff to a depth of over 10 meters. Wow! A bit eery as you wonder what large creatures inhabit the deeper water. Saw some really nice sized fish that would have made a beautiful dinner.

We all loaded back into the boat and travelled to our 3rd location. This was a shallow area where Sea Turtles lived and breeded. Water was a very green colour because of the algae present. Saw a pair of mating turtles and had a number of turtles that passed under the glass bottom boat. Also had a large Eagle Ray which was quite cooperative and let us pass over with the glass bottom. Wonderful experience.

We stopped and saw a large solid coral growth that was about 10 meters across. Still growing about 4cm a year in width but not height as has reached maximum height allowed by the tide levels. Was only about 20cm below the surface when we were there. Looked like a giant cupcake. We returned to shore just after 3 hours. A wonderful trip and good value at $75/person.

 Ayers Rock

Spent a relaxing afternoon swimming and snorkeling on the beach.

Monday morning Sandra and I walked around the point to area close to the boat ramp. From there we were able to snorkel and gently drift back with the currents. Sandra was nervous to begin with but got progressively braver as we proceeded. Ended up snorkeling solo by the end although she still kept me in close vicinity. We enjoyed just over a 30 minute snorkel back to the beach in front of the caravan park.

Monday afternoon the boys went for a fish at Maud's Landing. The wind was very strong which made the fishing somewhat difficult. Could feel the sand peppering against your legs as you fished. We all spent some time after dumping sand out of our tackle boxes and shoes. Terry caught a Queen fish which gave him a good fight and will be added to our existing collection for dinner tomorrow night.

The girls went for another snorkel in front of the beach by themselves. Just masks with no flippers. They had a good time. Sandra is being so brave as she usually is not a water person and is reluctant to try new things. Glad she is enjoying it so much! We all enjoyed some relaxing time on the beach as was 38 degrees.

Tuesday morning Carol, Stephen, Sandra, and I went for another long snorkel from the boat ramp. We had a great time and were gone about 50 minutes. Lots of great pictures of fish and coral, as well as us clowning for the camera. Sandra and Carol are now experienced Snorkel professionals. Great fun!

Another hot day so we spent most of the day on the beach. Terry, Stephen, and I went for a couple of hour fish beside the boat ramp in the early afternoon. No luck with the fish but Terry caught us a bunch of bait fish (mullet). We took them home and froze for future use. They will be better bait than the pilchers and will save us a bit of money on our future fishing trips.

Bait Fish



Girls went for another snorkel by themselves. They spent quite a bit of time watching Di feed the fish while they watched and took pictures. Sandra actually had one nip her finger as it took the food out of her hand.  The color of the parrot fish in particular are amazing. I had another snorkel in the afternoon although it was a bit rough because of the wind.

Tuesday night we cleaned out the fish we have been collecting over the past few weeks and had a massive fish feed. Quite a varied collection as we had, Trevally, Spanish Flag, Flathead, and Queen Fish. All quite nice.

Justine left for 3 months in Canada this morning so we won't see her when we return for Christmas. Hope her and her friend Lauren have a wonderful trip and don't get too cold!

Coral Beach has been one of our favorite stays. Beautiful beach with the Reef so close for snorkeling. The only downside (although probably part of it's charm) is the relative lack of facilities (shopping etc). You need to stock up with food and drink before arriving as well as your water supplies. The only other negative would be the wind which has been strong on most days from the South. Apparently this is relatively common for this time of year. Would have to be one of the best places to go for a relaxing vacation on the beach anywhere. Highly recommended!