INTRODUCTION
The Ningaloo Reef is unique in the world because it is on the western edge of a continent - no western coastlines of the other 6 continents are blessed with such magnificent marine ecologies.

It is the world's largest fringing reef system and, most importantly for you, it can be reached in less than 100 paces from Coral Bay's beach (the Great Barrier Reef is 40 kilometres from shore on average).

The Reef's existence is due to the Leeuwin Current, a stream of tropical water about 50 metres wide and 300 metres deep originating in the tropical seas between Australia & Indonesia, flowing along the north of Australia, and south down Western Australia's west coastline, supplying tropical water to latitudes far more southerly than elsewhere. This is also unique. All  the other major currents in the southern hemisphere flow south-to-north.

The word 'Ningaloo', means 'promontory' or a land arm reaching out into the sea, and is taken from the same aboriginal language as Coral Bay Ecotours' two vessels, Kurni-Ku and Nhanya-Ku.

The Reef is home to over 500 species of fish, at least 250 coral species, 600 types of molluscs, 3 species of marine turtle, and over a dozen marine mammals (including migratory species).

This doesn't even begin to take into account the mind-boggling number of  anemones, ascidians (sea squirts), sponges, sea jellies (jellyfish), echinoderms (sea stars or starfish, sea urchins and feather stars), worms, crustaceans, and sea snakes.

Because of this species richness and abundance, the Ningaloo Reef is considered the third most diverse reef system in the world.

The three turtle’s species and all but 2 mammal species are internationally classified as either endangered or vulnerable species, with the Western Australian loggerhead turtle and the dugong being extremely endangered.