Day 5: Exmouth - Snorkeling with Sharks and The Amazing Human Bicycle

Exmouth (pronounced, quite literally, "X-mouth") isn’t much in the way of a town; it’s more like a truck stop. However, it’s the gateway to Ningaloo Reef, one of the best places in the world to see aquatic life of all sizes. It rivals its East Coast counterpart, the Great Barrier Reef. Unlike the GBR, you don’t have to hop on a boat to see the reef, you can simply walk off the beach and find yourself immersed in an awesome coral reef. The most notable sight is Turquoise Bay. It’s about an hour outside the “town” of Exmouth itself, and shouldn’t be missed. This was some of the best snorkeling we’ve ever done. We saw tons of coral, fish both large and small, turtles, sting rays, sea snakes, and most exciting of all… SHARKS!

They were tame reef sharks, that aren’t interested in smelly humans, so it’s somewhat safe to swim with them, and a huge adrenaline rush. We encountered three that day, the biggest one being 2 metres/6 Feet! Matt spotted this one. As he turned around, there it was swimming directly at him like a heat-seeking missile, but turning at the last moment before impact. As Matt’s heart was pounding out of his chest, he decided he should swim after it. As he trailed the shark he remembered, “Oh yeah, these animals could take off a limb if they so choose.” So he eased away and joined the rest of the group of snorkelers.


Our guide, Ben, had quite the job of wrangling 13 snorkelers and let’s just say, some were less than okay swimmers, which is sad because it’s usually the coral reef that pays the price by being kicked and broken by flailing fins. Remember: coral is a living creature and shouldn’t be touched. Even your sunscreen can harm the coral while you’re admiring its beauty.


After the group surfaced, only 4 of us chose to swim the reef again. On our second go, we didn’t find any more sharks, but did see a blue spotted stingray. That was pretty cool. It was a bit more tricky getting back to shore, seeing as the tide was going out, leaving less and less water between us and the razor sharp coral. At some parts, all you could do was hold your breath, think skinny, and glide over. We all made it out unscathed and with all our limbs.

The "Doris" sandwich

After our snorkeling adventures, our sweetheart friend, Doris, decided to share her special, self-created snack. It was a tuna sandwich topped with ketchup, mayo (but we didn’t have mayo, so ceasar dressing was substituted), and finally strawberry jam. What a treat! She created it for when she was in the mood for a “salty-sweet snack”. This all came about as a World Cup bet, and because England lost, our UK friend, Amy, agreed she would eat the Tuna Delight. Matt just ate it anyways, so did a few other girls. It’s quite an interesting taste when that jam hits the tuna. As everyone was politely admiring how it was a “very unique taste”, Jo blurted out, “No!” as we all stared at her with our mouths full, “It tastes like SICK!” She was right. She couldn’t have been more right. It tasted like sick. This may have been one of the grossest things Matt has ever put in his mouth. And that’s saying a lot. He’s eaten cow balls!

Vlamingh Head Lighthouse

Before returning to our hostel, we stopped off at Vlamingh Head Lighthouse to catch the sunset, and of course take a million pictures. Then it was back to our hostel for one of Ben’s awesome dinners. We would like to add that for Matt, eating with a group of girls is awesome. Seeing how Matt is a human garbage disposal, and most girls aren’t, he usually ended up with second and third helpings.

After dinner, a German girl, Monika, showed us a trick she had learned on her travels, The Amazing Human Bicycle! Naturally, the Human Bicycle was recreated within our group. Even “Look into my Face” girl got into the act.



This was also our last night with our group. We decided to hop off our tour and spend a few days seeing what the Ningaloo reef had to offer. But, nothing would prepare us for the giant surprises that awaited us deep in the ocean. Before the night ended, and our group of friends continued up north, Ben was nice enough to share a few bottles of champagne with all of us, to celebrate our last evening as a group.


It was sad saying goodbye to our newly made friends. Especially since we all bonded so closely over the past few nights, mainly over out mutual frustrations with “Look Into My Face” who loved to remind everyone that she’s done it bigger and better than everyone else.

She actually made everyone sit around and watch her bungee jump and skydive videos, where after landing she screamed into the camera, “I did it, MOM!” with the crazy I-just-jumped-out-of-a-plane look in her eyes, “I promised you I wouldn’t, but I did it anyways!” We were waiting for her to follow with, “I hate you and Rodger will never be my real father!” But that last part didn’t happen. Revisiting the memory of these videos provided hours of entertainment with the rest of the group, and we had all bonded quite closely by the end of this leg of our trip. 

But don’t worry, this isn’t the last you’ll hear of “Look into my Face”, she decided to spend a few days more in Exmouth too. Hurray for us!

Day 4: Coral Bay - A hook in the arm is worth two in a fish

Day 4, as advertised in our Western Xposure guide, was our day to explore the wonders of Ningaloo Reef and its fantastic marine life in Coral Bay. We could go snorkeling, cruise the reef on a glass bottom boat, take a quad bike tour or even a flight over the reef. Somehow, Matt only ended up with a fishing hook stuck in his arm. But more on that later.

Amy on a Quad Bike

A few girls opted for the Manta Ray tour where you have the opportunity to Snorkel with giant Manta Rays, which they all raved about and insisted was well worth the $200. We saw some video they took, and watching those huge creatures doing backflips underwater was very impressive. However, this day we decided we wanted to hang on to our cash. We had the chance to swim with Manta Rays at night in Hawaii for FREE by sneaking through a hotel and past their Manta-themed restaurant and jumping into the dark ocean with rays swooping by us. But we digress, back to Coral Bay!

The girls who didn’t choose to swim with rays took the quad bike tour which cost somewhere between $85-$100. And some poor soul had to share a quad bike with “Just Look Into my Face” girl. (If you’re unsure of whom we’re referring to, read our “Day 2 – Kalbarri” Blog)

Matt and his catch

Lucky for us, our tour guide, Ben, was going fishing and invited us to come along which turned out to be a whole day of fun and did we mention FREE! Let us start by saying that neither of us are fishermen, nor fisherpeople, for that matter. Despite this, Matt somehow managed to catch the biggest Spanish Mackerel EVER! Basking in his own glory, Matt cast his very next line, which flung right back around a vengeance and landed the hook digging into his forearm. Barbs and all. Luckily our hero/tour guide Ben was there to cut and pull it back out. Catching a big fish is an awesome feeling, but nothing will humble you faster than hooking yourself in the arm with your own fishing lure. That was the first real fish Matt has ever caught. It was also the only fish any of us caught that day. He swears that bruise on his ego hurt much more than the hook in his forearm.

Upon returning we were given a hero’s welcome for catching the fish. Matt was showered with appreciation. He exclaimed, “Don’t worry ladies”, as he stood atop a picnic table, “I shall provide for the tribe!” Just then a ray of light beamed down upon him from the heavens above. I think he was even holding the Ten Commandments, too. Okay, that’s not completely true, but we did eat the fish for dinner. Everyone really enjoyed it, and we learned that the cheek meat of the fish’s face is really tasty.

Although we did not partake in any of the awesome tours in Coral Bay that offered close encounters with sea giants or the chance to kick up some sand on a quad bike, this became one of our most memorable days of the trip, and it didn’t cost a dime. Just a hole in the arm…