Witnessing wonder: Our Coral Bay adventure

POSTED July 31 2025 , News, Senior School

At 5am on 14 July 2025, 14 students and three intrepid teachers fled the cold suburbs of Perth and didn’t look back until we reached the warm, sunny climate of Coral Bay. It was not long before we were donning our wetsuits and jumping into the crystal-clear water and exploring the magical Ningaloo Reef. Imagine this: turtles, reef sharks, manta rays and the biggest fish of them all, whale sharks, not to mention all the beautiful pieces of coral around us. It is easy to see why the Ningaloo Reef has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its fragile underwater gardens teeming with unique marine species.

The main highlights were swimming with both manta rays and whale sharks, and humpback whale watching. But one of my favourite experiences was snorkelling at Asho’s Gap, a reef shark cleaning station where we watched reef sharks swim over a huge coral as small fish cleaned them. During our many dives, we were fortunate enough to watch turtles as they sleepily sat on coral or majestically swam around us. The trip culminated in a movie night where we watched our homemade movies capturing our experiences; however, the best “movie” of all was watching the magnificent horizon as the sun went down over the Indian Ocean.

We were fortunate to attend an evening presentation by Frazer McGregor, a marine biologist specialising in manta rays, where he discussed manta rays and coral, along with the importance of protecting this amazing reef system.

These experiences, plus my love of the marine environment, created a rewarding trip that I will remember for years to come.

Thanks to Mrs Wise and Ms Snedden for organising the trip, with help from Madame McRae and Chris.

Article written by Ciara, Year 12