We booked a tour with Ningaloo Reef Dive & Snorkel for a chance to swim with manta rays.

The snorkeling was OK.  It was very windy and choppy  and so visibility was poor.  Also the variety of fish didn’t seem as great.  The coral, however, was healthy and beautiful and is one of the area claims that there is no coral bleaching which is a problem that the GBR is currently experiencing.

The highlight, of course, was the opportunity to swim with the mantas that are here year-round.

Mantas tend to be skittish and if they don’t want to swim with people they will just dart away.  We were lucky as we had three opportunities to swim and observe the mantas as they glided gracefully through the water.   At one point, a manta swam up from the ocean floor and exposed it’s underside.

We also got to see a “gang” of grey reef sharks.

Unfortunately, we only have poorly worked up pics to share and hope to share better worked up pics when we get a chance.