17 Awesome Things To Do in Coral Bay WA & Local’s Travel Tips for 2023

What are the best things to do in Coral Bay, Western Australia? Learn about this tiny idyllic coastal town, its most popular activities, and why you should visit it soon.

Coral Bay is a laid-back small settlement that makes you feel relaxed as soon as you arrive and is one of my favourite places in WA. The one-road town has a population of about 200 people, but because there are many attractions, Coral Bay welcomes approximately 110,000 visitors yearly. These are mainly Western Australian families looking to escape the city, de-stress, and enjoy the ocean life.

Coral Bay is much quieter than Exmouth, which attracts more of a backpacker/van-life crowd.

Despite the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland getting all the attention, Ningaloo Reef is touted as the best reef in Australia.

The Best Things To Do in Coral Bay WA

There are plenty of things to do in Coral Bay, like snorkelling, diving, fishing, and kayaking which makes visiting this slice of paradise so much fun.

The white sand beaches and the world’s largest fringing reef at 604,500 hectares are the biggest drawcards for people visiting Coral Bay. Whether you snorkel from the beach or dive the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef, you are in for a treat. The crystal turquoise water allows you to see marine life clearly.

To make the most of your time in Coral Bay, I recommend taking at least one tour while you are there.

1. Swim with Whale Sharks – March to June

If you time your trip to Coral Bay right, you might have the chance to swim with the biggest fish in the ocean, the whale shark. Coral Bay Eco Tours allow you to swim with these gentle filter-feeding giants from March to June every year.

This is a bucket-list item for many, including us. It’s an incredible experience that you will never forget.

The success rate of this tour is high due to their use of a dedicated spotter plane, which guides the boats to where the whale sharks are.

Once you are checked in and onboard, you’re taken on an excursion that includes snorkelling with fish like reef sharks or turtles!

Morning Tea is provided once everyone is back on board as you’re taken outside the reef to look for the whale sharks. Once one is spotted by the plane, the boat heads there, and you are divided into two groups of ten. The groups take turns swimming with the whale sharks so that you don’t disturb their natural habits, and the maximum time spent with a whale shark is one hour. Depending on the day, you may have the chance to swim with up to four whale sharks.

The crew gives an informative talk and guidelines for swimming with the whale sharks, so you know exactly what to do.

It’s a bit scary at first, but soon the adrenalin kicks in, and you get to have one of the best wildlife experiences in the world. The thrill of being so close to these massive animals in their natural environment is incredible.

A buffet lunch is served once back inside the reef while the crew searches for other marine life. Depending on the month, you may be lucky enough to see humpback whales, dolphins, turtles, reef sharks, tiger sharks, and manta rays.

On the way back, you can go for another snorkel at another beautiful reef location.

There is a chance the ocean can be rough, so if you suffer from seasickness, I suggest taking medication before you go.

This tour is worth spending the money on and one you will remember for a long time.

2. Whale Watching Tour & Interaction – June to October

Whale Watching Swim and Tours depart from Coral Bay from June to October to view and possibly swim with the humpback whales.

Travel outside the reef to find the humpback whales with the help of the spotter plane. If the skipper thinks the whales are suitable, they will attempt a swim with them. You are divided into two groups of seven to give you the most time in the water with them.

The crew onboard are highly trained and experienced, including divemasters and instructors that know Ningaloo Reef well.

Lunch, snacks, tea and coffee, and a glass of sparkling wine are included in the price.

3. Marine Eco Safari – Swim with Manta Rays

This Marine Eco Safari provides the opportunity to get close to various marine life that calls Ningaloo Reef home. You may get to snorkel with manta rays, sea turtles, reef sharks, and more on the five to six hour snorkel.

The first snorkel is in Bills Bay, where various fish, reef sharks, and beautiful coral gardens exist. After some morning tea, you head to the turtle sanctuary to see turtles feeding and coming up for air. A spotter plane will try to find some manta rays for you to swim within Batemans Bay before the last snorkel of the day.

4. Turtle Encounter Tour

Who doesn’t love turtles? Well, this 3-hour tour showcases these beautiful marine animals in their natural habitat on a custom-designed glass bottom boat.

The crew provides an interesting insight into turtles, and you visit two fantastic sites for snorkelling, fish feeding, and coral viewing.

This is the only turtle tour that uses a glass-bottomed boat.

Drinks and snacks are provided.

5. Glass Bottomed Boat Snorkel and Coral View Tour

The best way to experience Coral Bay is by taking a snorkel tour like this two-hour guided tour. You get the chance to explore Ningaloo Reef and view marine life as you travel between two stops, where your guide will provide an in-depth commentary on what you see.

The boat itself, Nhanya-Ku, has been custom designed with shallow draft for easy access, a spacious layout for the comfort of up 12 people, and a superior design that includes fitted glass bottoms so that everyone can enjoy unobstructed views inside these beautiful coral gardens full of tropical fish and turtles!

This tour is perfect if you’re new at snorkelling or want a more relaxed tour because crew members stay close with available noodles just in case you need extra help.

The use of snorkelling equipment is included in the price.

6. Coral Bay 1-Hour Coral Viewing on Glass Bottomed Boat

This Coral Bay Glass Bottom Boat Tour is a 1-hour tour that allows you to experience the magical Ningaloo Reef without getting wet. The Nhanya Ku boat crew gives an informative talk on what can be seen through the boat’s glass bottom as it travels over and around beautiful coral formations in lush lagoon gardens inside reef walls.

The use of snorkelling equipment is included in the price.

7. Snorkel off the beach & Five Fingers Reef

Snorkelling off the beach at Bill’s Bay is incredible. There aren’t many places in the world where you can step into the water, and the reef is literally a few steps away. If you snorkel further out, you will most likely come across reefies, reef sharks, as they are pretty common at Coral Bay but are generally harmless.

Go on a lovely drift snorkel by walking to the 5-knot sign in the main bay and swim to the dark water about 50m out. You will then drift back into the bay. As we entered the water, we saw a huge pink snapper and lots of smaller reef fish.

If you see a pile of shells in the shallows, this could mean there are octopuses around.

Paradise Beach is a stunning soft white sand beach with crystal waters on the other side of the lookout (south of Purdy Point). The snorkelling off this beach is fantastic too.

If you have a 4WD, drive along the track south of the boat ramp until you get to Five Finger Reef, which runs from the beach to around 200 metres offshore. It’s the best place in Coral Bay to swim with turtles and perfect for children and beginner snorkellers due to the shallow water and the amount of marine life close to shore.

Oyster Bridge and the Lagoon, north of Coral bay, are also fantastic snorkel sites but only accessible by 4wd.

8. Relax

After all that activity, sometimes it’s just lovely to lie on the beach reading a book.

9. Fishing

Coral Bay has some of the best fishing opportunities in Western Australia, but you must follow the rules and guidelines and only fish in the designated areas. You can find out more on the Fisheries site.

Ningaloo Reef is a premier game fishing destination where you can catch blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, wahoo, mackerel and dolphin fish (mahi mahi), red emperor, spangled emperor, cod, perch, trout, and many more species.

10. Four-wheel Driving

There are some great opportunities to do some four-wheel driving in Coral Bay. The track to Five Fingers Reef is 4wd only, and north of Coral Bay is Mauds Landing, and further up is Oyster Bridge, Lagoon, Five Mile and Ningaloo Station. If you’re an avid four-wheel driver, you can even drive all the way to Exmouth from Coral Bay on 4wd tracks, although you will need to cross Yardie Creek. Unfortunately, this is only crossable at certain times, and many vehicles have got stuck crossing it.

11. Stingray Spotting

I read a tip that you can go stingray spotting at Bills Bay at night. You may see spotted lagoon rays if you stand in the shallows with a torch.

12. Shopping

There aren’t many shops in Coral Bay, but you will find a supermarket, bakery, dive shop, and tourist shops. If you like art, pop into The Bubble, a local gallery inspired by the Ningaloo Reef.

13. Watch the Sunset

Western Australia is one of the best places in the world to watch the sunset over the ocean. Coral Bay is no exception. The lookout at the end of Coral Bay Road is a great spot.

The sunrise was impressive too.

14. Quad Bike Tour

Take a dune buggy over the sand dunes around Coral Bay. Coral Coast Tours offers various tours, including the southern adventure, southern lights sunset, and snorkel adventure.

15. Hire a Kayak, SUP or Seascooter

Ningaloo Kayak Adventures offer snorkelling tours with underwater sea scooters as well as the hire of equipment, including wetsuits, masks and fins, kayaks, and SUPs. The sea scooter tour is definitely on our list when we return to Coral Bay.

16. Skeleton Bay Reef Shark Nursery

If you walk north of Bills Bay, you get to Skeleton Bay. This is known as the Coral Bay Reef Shark Nursery, where hundreds of baby reef sharks come into the shallows in spring.

17. Fish Feeding

Fish Feeding occurs during peak periods at 3.30 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Bills Bay.

3 Night Ningaloo Reef Snorkel and Dive Getaway from Coral Bay

For a truly magical experience, you can book three nights on board the luxury catamaran, Shore Thing. Your snorkelling, scuba, and kayaking gear are provided, as well as breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

You will snorkel, swim, kayak, and dive at a range of bays, reefs, and coral gardens and visit secluded locations for undisturbed snorkelling.

We have yet to do this tour, but you can read the reviews here.

There’s also a 5 night onboard experience from the same company.

Where to stop from Perth to Coral Bay

Kalbarri is about halfway between Perth and Coral Bay, making it an ideal place to break up the journey. However, there is a detour of over an hour to get to Kalbarri from the main road.

Other alternatives are Northampton, just before Kalbarri, or Carnarvon, just over nine and a half hours from Perth.

You can also choose to take your time and make a road trip out of it, stopping in Geraldton, Kalbarri, Shark Bay, and Carnarvon.

See this Perth to Exmouth road trip itinerary for ideas on where to stop on the way to Coral Bay.

If you want to get up to Coral Bay quicker, Qantas flies into Exmouth’s Learmonth airport, about 90 minutes from Coral Bay. The flight time is two hours. You can hire a car from the airport, but it must be pre-booked, or arrange a transfer with Coral Bay Airport Transfers.

Integrity Coach Lines run a service between Perth and Coral Bay, taking about 15 hours. This is a hop-on/hop-off type service and doesn’t travel non-stop to Coral Bay.

International and domestic visitors will fly into Perth Airport. Find details about visas, prohibited items, currency, and safety in this Australia Travel Guide and tips on arriving into WA and other essential travel information in this Western Australia Travel Guide.

There are car hire booths at Perth airport, but it’s best to pre-book your car rental.

To compare Australia car hire prices, Discover Cars is an award-winning car rental comparison website. They offer competitive pricing in over 10,000 locations worldwide and are have a high rate of customer satisfaction.

Drivenow is a good resource to compare campervan hire in Western Australia as it includes all the large companies like Britz, Maui, Jucy as well as smaller ones.

Compare Rental Cars Here.

Coral Bay Weather & Best Time To Go

Coral Bay is a year-round destination, but it does depend on what you want to do in Coral bay as to when the best time to visit is.

Whale sharks visit from March to June, and the best chance of seeing humpback whales is from July to October. Turtle nesting is from December to February, while hatching is from January to March.

The hottest time is December through March, with average highs of 36°C-38°C.

To miss the rain, try to avoid the wettest months of June, May, March, and February when the average monthly rainfall is between 39mm and 43mm.

The driest months are September, October, and November.

Coral Bay is windier from October to February.

You can view the 7-day forecast for Coral Bay on the Bureau of Meteorology site.

Sea temperature ranges from 26°C from February to May to 22°C from August to October. The remaining months will be something in-between.

The busiest time of year in Coral Bay is December and January (summer WA school holidays), followed by September. It is quietest in June and November.

How long to stay in Coral Bay

I recommend staying in Coral Bay for at least three nights, but five nights allows you to experience most of the activities it has to offer.

We visited Coral Bay for two nights on our way up to Exmouth, and it wasn’t long enough, so we will return.

Coral Bay Accommodation & Camping

Have you booked accommodation?

We use Booking.com for most accommodation bookings as they offer free cancellation on many properties and have a price match guarantee. We book through Stayz (part of VRBO) for private accommodation as we find it is often cheaper than Airbnb.

Tip: Accommodation gets booked quickly, especially during the WA school holidays. To avoid disappointment, book early.

Coral Bay accommodation is limited due to the town’s size. Therefore, most people book over a year in advance as the holiday homes and caravan parks fill up quickly, especially in peak season.

People’s Park Coral Bay is right opposite Bills Bay and offers accommodation for all budgets. Choose from cabins, hilltop villas, and the oceanview penthouse.

Ningaloo Coral Bay Bayview has various accommodation options, including cabins, villas, houses, and Bay Lodge. Most can be booked for an overnight stay, although minimum nights usually apply for peak periods. You can find good deals on booking.com with free cancellation, depending on when you want to go. Check Booking.Com prices here.

Ningaloo Reef Resort features self–contained one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and studio rooms, all overlooking the tropical gardens and pool. The resort is the closest property to the Ningaloo Reef and would be my choice when we next visit Coral Bay. If you’re a RACWA member, you’ll receive a discount by booking directly. If not, check here on Booking.com for low prices.

Ningaloo Coral Bay Backpackers not only offer backpacker dorms but rooms for couples and families. Check rooms with free cancellation here.

We camped at Ningaloo Coral Bay Bayview, across the road from Bill’s Bar. The amenities were kept clean, and the camp kitchen was adequate. In addition, the campsite has tennis courts for hire, a heated swimming pool with a toddler pool, two playgrounds, and a jumping pillow.

You can also camp at People’s Park Coral Bay.

Eating and drinking in Coral Bay

Bill’s Bar is a fun night out with live music in their alfresco dining area, where shade sails keep you cool in summer and fires and heaters keep you warm in winter. The food was delicious, and the menu had a variety of dishes to choose from. The seafood linguine was one of the best I’ve had. Unfortunately, they only take bookings for six or more people, so you may need to arrive early in peak times.

Fins Café is known for the best breakfast in town, and you can BYO (Bring Your Own wine) if you visit for lunch or dinner.

Reef Café was advertising a seafood platter, which sounded amazing, but we didn’t have time to try it out.

The bakery serves scrumptious sausage rolls, pies, pastries, and smoothies. The sausage rolls, beef pie, and jam doughnuts were all excellent.

Coral Bay Travel Tips

• Collecting flora and fauna (including shells and corals) is not permitted anywhere in the marine park, including Coral Bay beaches.
• Be careful of the coral when diving or snorkelling. Living coral is delicate; once damaged, it often takes years to grow back, so do not stand on it.
• Mobile phone reception is good in town but may drop out elsewhere.
• The Coral Bay Nursing Post provides healthcare services to both residents and visitors.
• If you’re visiting in winter, bring a sharkskin top or wetsuit to keep you warm in the water.
• This Coral Bay map will help you get your bearings.

Coral Bay History

Archaeologists discovered evidence to indicate that Indigenous people have been present in the Ningaloo region for over 32,000 years. The world’s oldest beaded necklace was found in the Mandu Mandu Creek rock shelter.

The first recorded European movement in the Coral Bay area was at Mauds Landing, used to ship wool, sheep, and cattle from 1884 to 1946. However, Mauds Landing was closed in 1947 due to funding shortages. The surrounding area became Cardabia Station, owned by Charles French. This land included Bills Bay, named after Charles’ wife Ruby, or Auntie Billie as she was known.

Jack McKenna constructed the first building in 1933 as a holiday spot, but it wasn’t until the late 1960s that Bills Bay became a township. Part of the Cardabia Station was sold to Ken Ryan, who built a caravan park, hotel, and service station. It is thought the town was named after Ryan’s Coral Bay Hotel.

In 1973, Bill and Alison Brogan visited Coral Bay. They realised it had great potential as a tourist destination, so they bought a four-room portable building, a charter yacht, and a glass-bottomed boat and founded Bayview Coral Bay. However, there were a few drawbacks: poor road access, water shortages, and no reliable electricity or sewage system. Nevertheless, this investment has become one of the most popular Western Australian holiday destinations.

Generators now provide electricity for the community, bores supply the water, and a sewerage system is in place. A shopping arcade has been built, along with housing, and the Brogans continue to improve facilities with The Bayview, Backpackers, their boats, and Bill’s Bar.

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• Things to do in Green Head & Leeman
• Things to do in Jurien Bay
• Things to do in Geraldton
• Things to do in Shark Bay Monkey Mia & Denham
• Things to do in Exmouth
• A guide to Australia’s Coral Coast

Western Australia Travel Guide

FAQ

These are some of the best things to do in Coral Bay, Western Australia. Whether you want to visit one of the many natural attractions, spend time relaxing on a beach or go diving, there are plenty of options for an unforgettable vacation! If this sounds like something that interests you and you’re ready to book your tour today, please consider booking through one of our links. It won’t cost you anything but will help towards the cost of running this site. Thank you.