Are you planning a trip that includes viewing corals and marine life at Ningaloo? Let us take you on a virtual journey, so you know what to expect. Snorkerlling at Cape Range, looking at the beautiful corals and watching colourful fishes swim by, is like immersing yourself into another world – a mesmerising world of wonder, beauty, tranquillity and amazement.
Equipped with a new underwater camera and a drone we headed to to Cape Range in April 2022, choosing to stay at North Kurrajong campground for 4 nights while exploring the best snorkelling sites in Cape Range National Park. We had perfect weather during the full 3 days, which we spent at Oyster Stacks, Turquoise Bay and South Mandu.
The Ningaloo Reef contains over 250 species of coral and over 500 species of fish. While we did take more than 1 thousand underwater pictures trying to capture everything we saw, obviously we did not see all of the species but we did see a fair bit of them.
Disclaimer: We are no expert on corals. When researching the names of the corals we found some of the names a bit confusing and repeating. The information presented here is based on our limited understanding and knowledge at the time of writing.
Corals
Staghorn (branching) corals
They come in different colours and sizes and are quite abundant in Ningaloo Reef. They are one of the faster growing corals with growth from 10-20 cm per year.
Finger corals
Acropora humilis (Finger Coral) is a species of corals in the family Staghorn corals.
Porites corals
Porites are small polyp stony (SPS) corals.
Boulder coral bombies
Boulder coral bombies are quite big (as the name suggests) – they can grow up to 2 meters in diameter. They are also very slow growing colonies that are hundreds of years old.
Cabbage (leaf) corals
Cabbage corals are hardy soft corals. They are mostly browning in colour but can be colourful if they grow in shallow water where they get enough sunlight.
Plate Montipora coral
Leaf plate Montipora, also known as vase coral or plating Montipora, is a type of small polyp stony coral.
Sea stars
Most sea stars have 5 arms, although some can grow as many as 50 arms. Together with sea urchins and sea cucumbers they are not classified as fish, but rather belong to a group of marine creatures called Echinoderms (meaning having “spiny skin”). Did you know that sea stars have amazing capacity for regeneration and are able to regrow from fragments of their body? Sea stars can live up 35 years and only in salt water. There are about 2000 species of Sea Stars, of which we have only seen 2.
Fishes and clams
Clown fish and anemone
Colourful clownfish can often be seen hiding amongst the tentacles of anemones where they are protected from predators. A coating of mucus protect clownfish from the stinging cells of the anemone. The clownfish in return provides the anemone nutrients in the form of waste. Such is a symbiotic relationship between two living organisms. They are often seen together in underwater world. Picture taken at South Mandu, Cape Range NP.
Giant clam
Giant clams can grow up to 1.2meters. Microscopic algae live in the fleshy mantle inside the clam’s shell contributing to its decorative patterns. The clam closes up when protection required (as it is the case here).
Green Moon Wrasse
Green Moon Wrasse fish changes its colour with growth. That’s reason that despite the “green” in its name, it’s mostly purple in colour here.
Blue spotted ray
Bluespotted Fantail Ray is a shy creature living on the ocean floor, often found in shallow waters and lagoons. Its length is about 70cm, including the tail. It is quite a common marine creature in Ningaloo Reef.
Some more colourful tropical fishes
