Feeling well rested after our early night, we were on the road again by 7:30am! Within minutes, our decision to stop at Minilya for the night was proven to be a good one as we saw 2 freshly killed kangaroos just a little way up the road! The scenery soon changed dramatically and we were quickly reminded we were in the outback as the ground turned red and the trees became more and more sparse. We were confused by some areas though as on one side of the road it was red and desert like and on the other it was lush and green, we have no idea how that happens?!
 
We stopped at Coral Bay to make some breakfast and to have a walk along the beach . Annoyingly, the sky had a layer of cloud across it so it seemed quite gloomy and was pretty chilly meaning we weren't keen to get in the water even though it did look beautiful. It's clear how this must be stunning in the summer as the sand is so soft and white and the sea is a gorgeous blue. We walked up to a lookout to get some photos and were struck by just how small the area is with only a couple of hotels and restaurants in between the palm trees. It certainly lives up to its 'hidden gem' reputation.
 
Our only other stop on the way was so Matt could take some pictures of the termite nests that covered the land on both sides of the road, it's the only place we have seen these other than Darwin. These were nowhere near as big as the huge ones in Darwin but some were still over 6 foot tall, there were absolutely loads of them though, scattered about for miles and miles. It is crazy to think these are created by tiny termites sticking bits of soil together with their spit. 
 
We finally arrived in Exmouth at about 11:30am and checked in to our hostel before heading back out to explore the area . Situated on the eastern side of the Exmouth Peninsular, this small town was originally built in 1967 to service the local airforce base but nowadays the town is more important as a tourist destination as it is used as a base for exploring the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park and the Cape Range National Park. Most importantly though is that it's the only place in Australia where you can swim with the whale sharks, which is the reason for our journey here. 
 
We followed the one and only road up the east and around the top of the peninsular before stopping at Vlaming Head lighthouse, which stands up on a high bluff and offers a lovely view across the entire peninsular. Further along from the lighthouse is the radar station, which was used during WWII to detect incoming enemy vessels, and part of the original sand bag wall around the radar still remains. At this lookout is the original anchor from the SS Mildura, a cattle transporter which sank in 1907. Fortunately no people died but most of the cattle drowned trying to swim ashore . The wreck is still visible from the shore. Some good did come of this horrible incident though, as the building of the lighthouse was commissioned as a direct result but it wasn't all good news as the captain lost his sailing licence after being deemed negligent as he had successfully sailed that passage 63 times previously! This lookout is also a good place to look out over the sea and see whales swimming past or their young playing at certain times of year as they migrate either north or back down south. Unfortunately we didn't see any while we were there.
 
From the lighthouse lookout, we made our way into the Cape Range National Park and headed to Turquoise Bay. This is renowned as one of the best snorkelling spots in the northwest and it's easy to see how it got its name: the water was a stunning turquoise blue! Annoyingly it was still very cloudy and windy so it wasn't ideal beach weather! We persevered and laid on the beach fully clothed for a while as we were pretty tired from the early start and all the driving but we soon gave up and went for a walk around the bay where we found a more sheltered area, it was here that Matt just couldn't resist the attraction of the incredibly blue water and braved it to go snorkelling . He was gone for about 45 minutes and when he came back he excitedly told me he had seen heaps of fish, many of which were completely new to him, an octopus and lots of brilliant coral. Coral that was far better than lots of the other places we'd snorkelled at, so it had been a success!
 
Ningaloo Reef Marine Park runs for 260km (162 miles) along the west coast of Exmouth Peninsular and around the tip into Exmouth Gulf. The Ningaloo Reef is the largest fringing barrier reef in the state and offers many of the attractions of the east coast's Great Barrier Reef.
 
In many places, it lies very close to the shore, and its turquoise waters are popular with snorkelers. Apart from numerous types of coral and brightly coloured fish, the marine park also protects a number of species. Several beaches at the northern end of the park are used by sea turtles as mating and breeding areas. Further offshore, it is possible to see the gentle whale shark from April to July. These are the biggest fish on earth and are capable of growing up to 18m (60ft), that was seen in South Africa but the biggest the Ningaloo has had on record is 12m, which is certainly big enough for us!
 
These pretty unheard of whale sharks were the sole reason for us going through so much to get here . They say that very little is known of these surreal fish as they prove impossible for scientists to track: they dive down so deep into the water that any tracking devices corrupt or disintegrate under the pressure. So no one knows where they come from, where they go, how old they live or how many of them there are, so they really are quite a mystical creature with only an estimated 0.01% of the world's population having swam with them. There are only 4 or 5 places in the world you can swim with them and the Ningaloo is the most reliable place you will find them as lots of young males come through here on their way to an unknown breeding ground!
 
We were booked on a tour with a company call Ningaloo Blue and our day with them was just incredible and we can't speak highly enough of them. They picked us up at 7:15am and we all headed to the harbour by coach to board our boat. On the way our guides asked if anyone had any bananas with them as it's an old fisherman's myth that if you take bananas on board you won't catch any fish, meaning bananas are banned! Funnily enough an Italian guy had one in his bag so he had to quickly eat it before we got to the jetty . Once we'd all been ferried to our boat on a little dingy we were all given our equipment for the day and given a safety introduction. The captain and crew were all very friendly and outgoing people so it was all fun right from the start and we all felt very much at ease. Our first stop was a snorkelling spot inside the reef, this was so the crew could assess our abilities and was a chance for us to check our equipment fitted and worked. We snorkelled for about 25 minutes and the coral and fish were beautiful. The water was so clear and yet again we saw so many fish we hadn't seen anywhere else before, there was even a turtle passing by, it was brilliant!
 
We boarded the boat again and then went in search of the whale sharks. We were very excited but also a little worried as we were fully aware of their size and it's quite nerve racking thinking about jumping into open water with a fish the size of a double decker bus and a mouth over a metre wide. Once the spotter planes had found some, the captain called out and our groups took turns to bundle into the water . It's a law here that only 10 people are allowed in the water with the sharks at one time as they're really protected now and they can get spooked by big crowds. We spent the next few hours climbing in and out of the water swimming with 4 different sharks. It was certainly an experience of a life time but not quite as scary as we though. Even though they are huge they are so gentle and graceful so you don't feel threatened by them at all. The only thing to watch out for was not getting too close and staying out of their way. You must stay 3 metres away from them and you must move for them as they won't move for you. Matt and a German guy had a bit of a scare as one decided to turn in their direction and as they tried to swim out the way it continued to turn the same way they were trying to swim, they could see right down its mouth and thought they were going to end up inside! Luckily it decided to stop turning and swam right past them, much to their relief. Even if they had got inside his mouth (which is almost impossible!) he would have spat them straight out as the biggest thing they eat is an anchovy!! The other group got a shock as well as they were all watching one shark when another they hadn't seen appeared right behind them causing them to frantically scurry out the way . They were very lucky though to see two together like that as it's quite rare!
 
Even when we were on the boat waiting for our turn one swam right around us and we got to stand and watch it swim past it was amazing especially as it wasn't far off the size of the boat! Whilst swimming with one of the sharks we were really lucky to spot two huge manta rays swimming past, these grow up to 4 metres in width and feed on the plankton like the whale sharks so they're in season at the moment as well. They're really funny looking but it was lovely to see them as we had decided against going on a trip to swim with them in Hawaii. With swimming around so much it seemed everyone was drinking quite a bit of sea water but no one more than Matt who was gradually feeling sick and, after taking in a huge mouthful on our last swim, he actually started to nearly be sick whilst in the water. As you can imagine it's not easy whilst snorkelling in 200m deep water to try and keep your head above water to be sick, so he quickly got back to the boat and made friends with the toilet! It still seems Matt and boats just don't get on, even if it wasn't strictly the boat's fault this time .
 
Once our swims had finished we were treated with a lovely big lunch whilst the captain went looking for humpback whales. We also got to see turtles swimming and tuna feeding frenzies with fish leaping out of the water all over the place. We soon found some humpback whales and saw there were actually 2 adults and a calf, this is unusual as you normally only see mother and calf. the captain explained that the second adult would either be a female who didn't have a calf this season or a male trying his luck a bit! Either way they are called an escort whale and it was amazing as we got to sail along with them as they rolled along the surface taking breaths of air. We learned that the adults can hold their breath for up to half an hour but the calves can only hold theirs for 2 minutes which is why they have to swim along the surface. We almost got a little too close at one point as they surprised us and the captain by popping up right in front of the boat and incredibly one of the adults breached for us, this is when then roll on the top and their whole tail comes out of the water . We were all wowed by them as it was as if they were showing off as they only did this the once and it was when we were at our closest to them!
 
We were then treated with champagne and chocolate as we headed back to shore and to our hostel. Everyone was so tired from the day and even though it was only 4pm we had to shower and have a lay down before we could think about doing anything. We then went and bought a 6 pack of ciders to help us relax after our extraordinary day. To add to our luck our 7 person dorm only had us 2 and 1 other guy in as everyone else had checked out and no one had arrived, so we had dinner with the other guy and headed to bed around 9pm as we were shattered. We had come all this way especially to swim with the whale sharks and they really didn't disappoint! It was an incredible experience, certainly one we will never forget, and we would definitely recommend anyone to do it if you ever get the chance!
 
The next morning, after a well earned lay in (if you can call 8am a lay in?!?!), we packed up and headed into the town centre to pick up a few supplies, find some souvenirs and pick up our DVD. I was very excited to see a sneak preview and was overjoyed to see that we were both in lots of footage! I can't wait to watch the whole thing in full now, it looks so good! After chatting to the people who own and run the company for a while as well as the French and German guys from our trip who had come to pick up their DVD as well, it was time to leave Exmouth and make our way back down the coast.