Great Australian Bight Esperance Albany - Denmark Albany Best in the SW
Augusta - Cape Naturalist Busselton - Geographe Bay Fremantle - Cockburn
Sound Rottnest Island Houtman Abrolhos Jurien Bay - Geraldton
Ningaloo Reef - Exmouth Port Hedland Dampier Broome - Cape Levique
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Christmas Island Diving
Located at the most western point of the Australian continent, Shark Bay is enclosed by numerous islands and two long peninsulas of land. The bay covers an area of 8000 sq km, and is a World Heritage-listed site and marine park.
Marine life flourishes in this shallow bay, which on average is only 10 m deep and the opportunity to participate in scuba diving, snorkeling and underwater photography is only restricted by its gigantic size and the diving schedules.
Sharks are common, as are turtles many turtles nest on the beaches around the bay. The bay is also home to 10,000 dugongs, which feed on the extensive sea grass beds that carpet Shark Bay.
Dugongs are regularly seen by divers. Special tours are conducted to locations where people can observe and photograph the dugongs, and sometimes snorkel with them if close enough.
At the southern end of Shark Bay lies the inhospitable coastline of the "Zuytdorp Cliffs". Named as such for the wreck of the "Zuytdorp" which was wrecked there in 1712, this barrier was one of the reasons that the Dutch believed that Western Australia was not worth trying to claim, let alone, settle.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
One of the most primitive life forms to ever exist on earth were pillars of blue/green algae known as stromatolites for many billions of years the planets most abundant life form. Fossilised stromatolites have been found that date back 3.5 billion years. In 1954, a colony of stromatolites long thought to be extinct was discovered in Hamelin Pool, at Shark Bay. They survive in super saline sea water that few other animals can tolerate, except for the occasional mollusc and jellyfish. Found in 1.5 m of water, and exposed at low tide, stromatolites make unusual photographic subjects.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
With over 100,000 visitors a year and a modern day 'town' nearby, Monkey Mia has become one of the Western Australias greatest drawcards for eco tourism. Strictly controlled feeding by CALM management allows people to experience Bottlenose Dolphins at close quarters and learn a lot about these extraordinary mammals.
The area has certainly developed from when I first visited in 1972 when there was one caravan, an old wooden fishing jetty and we, were the only ones " in town".( photo: Neville Coleman)
Shark Bay is probably most famous for its resident population of bottlenose dolphins, which come in for a daily feed at Monkey Mia. The dolphins first followed the fishing boats, picking up scraps, then in 1964 a few of the dolphins appeared at the beach looking for food. Others followed and today up to 18 dolphins swim into the shallows to interact with people and pick up a few fish. Over 100,000 visitors now come to Monkey Mia to see these wonderful, intelligent marine mammals first hand.
As a World Heritage - listed site and Marine Park, the vast 8000 sq km area of Shark Bay is bordered by limestone cliffs and sandy beaches. Out in the shallow waters are the most extensive sea grass meadows in Australia which support over 10,000 dugongs and a multitude of other species.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Located at the most western point of the Australian continent, Shark Bay is enclosed by numerous islands and two long peninsulas of land. The bay covers an area of 8000 sq km, and is a World Heritage-listed site and marine park. Marine life flourishes in this shallow bay, which on average is only 10 m deep. Sharks are common, as are turtles many turtles nest on the beaches around the bay. The bay is also home to 10,000 dugongs, which feed on the extensive sea grass beds that carpet Shark Bay. Dugongs are regularly seen by divers. Special tours are conducted to locations where people can observe and photograph the dugongs, and sometimes snorkel with them if close enough.
The Shark Bay area with its many reefs and off shore islands support the presense of a multitude of coralfishes and butterflyfishes. The Racoon Buterflyfish Chaetodon lunula is common on the offshore reefs and around the fringing coral reefs along the outer coast.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Shark Bay is shallow and many sites are accessible from the shore. However, some of the better locations within the bay can only be reached by boat. Most diving is restricted to inside the bay, as access and rough seas limit the diving possibilities outside.
Red sandy soil and stark desert shrubs dominate the inland areas adjacent to Shark Bay. Dry and desolate, they are transformed into unbelievable pastures of flowers every wet season.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
As bizzare as any underwater creature, the Thorny Devil Moloch horridus lives in the sandy deserts and feeds on trailing ants. They are diurnal and can store moisture, which is absorbed through the skin.
( photo: Neville coleman)
A number of small towns are scattered around the shores of Shark Bay. The main centres are Denham and Carnarvon, where visitors will find a good range of accommodation. Diving conditions are generally best over winter and spring, when the climate is pleasant and the winds light. A number of charter boats service the Shark Bay area, and numerous boat ramps are available for those exploring the region using their own boat.
Getting out to the launching beach at Point Peron is quite a journey. With kilometres of "Birridas" ( salt pans) and deep red sandy tracks to negotiate. However, once there, the scenery and the shallow water diving on the patch reefs and coastal reefs is worth every difficulty.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Dublouays Angefish Chaetodontoplus duboulayi appears to be more common on the inshore coastal reefs than out in the offshore, clear water coral reefs.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
South Passage
Although the area is swept by currents and sometimes affected by dirty water, there is always something happening in the South Passage. The bottom, at a depth of only 7 m, has a sparse covering of hard corals and other invertebrates, however, much marine life shelters here. Sea snakes, turtles, reef sharks, stingrays, wobbegongs, rock lobsters, shovelnose rays, gropers and reef fish are common. Sometimes a dugong will come in close to check out a diver.
Only seen on the offshore reefs, the Surge Wrasse Thalassoma purpureum can be seen in quite shallow water around the outer edges of the exposed fringe reefs and patchreefs. It grows to 20cm and is the largest of its genus.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Monkey Rock
The reef around Monkey Rock steps down to 15 m, and supports an excellent variety of marine life including lionfish, wrasse, pufferfish, moray eels, parrotfish, damsels, butterflyfish, angelfish, sweetlips, surgeonfish, hawkfish, scorpionfish, nudibranchs, sea stars, feather stars, clams and other molluscs; also the occasional stingray, rock lobster, reef shark and turtle.
A common species along the north west coast and around to the Northern Territory, the Margined Coralfish Chelmon marginalis is as much at home inhabiting shallow coastal reefs as it is out in the clean waters of the offshore areas.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Bernier Island
Prolific fish life can be found on the reefs on the eastern side of Bernier Island. Angelfish, surgeonfish, damsels, anemonefish, boxfish, pufferfish, filefish, gobies, trevally, blennies, wrasse, rock cod, coral trout, gropers and many more species are usually seen on most dive, as well as turtles, rock lobsters, sea snakes, wobbegongs and reef sharks.
Juveniles of the Mangrove Jack Lutjanus argentimaculatus are commonly seen in the coastal creeks and inlets. The larger adults can be found out on the outer reef areas. The species is an important food fish throughout northern Australia.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Point Quobba
Found in only 2 metres of water along the fringing shorereefs at Quobba, the Indian Phidiana Phidia indica was quite a discovery for me in 1972.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
Growing to a size of 200 mm, this Lumpy Asteronotus Asteronotus cespitulosa occurs throughout the Indo - Pacific and during the day lives beneath dead coral slabs and under ledges.( photo: Neville Coleman)
At the northern end of Shark Bay are lovely shallow coral gardens, located off Point Quobba. The reef and lagoon are accessible from the shore, but since the water is only 2 m deep, the area is best explored by snorkelling. Around the hard corals that thrive there, you will usually find wobbegongs, stingrays, parrotfish, angelfish, clams, anemones, nudibranchs, sea stars, butterflyfish, pufferfish, wrasse, surgeonfish, gobies, blennies, moray eels and sometimes a turtle resting on the bottom.
Dorre Island
Whether it is the Pacific Ocean, or the Indian Ocean, the colour pattern of the various species of Giant Clams is always spectacular. This Indian Ocean form of the Large Giant Clam Tridacna maxima only seemed to live on the outer clean water reefs and was not noticed along the shorereefs.
( photo: Neville Coleman)
The eastern side of Dorre Island provides first-rate diving in depths to 20 m. Some of the best coral growth in Shark Bay is found in this area. Numerous hard and soft corals occupy the reefs in shallow water, as well as coral trout, batfish, reef sharks, gropers, trevally, stingrays, rock lobsters and masses of reef fish.
Great Australian Bight Esperance Albany - Denmark Albany Best in the SW
Augusta - Cape Naturalist Busselton - Geographe Bay Fremantle - Cockburn
Sound Rottnest Island Houtman Abrolhos Jurien Bay - Geraldton
Ningaloo Reef - Exmouth Port Hedland Dampier Broome - Cape Levique
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Christmas Island Diving
Neville Coleman's diving expeditions, fauna surveys, photographic fauna surveys and marine life identification courses include every major group of marine life.
Neville Coleman's expertise in marine life identification extends to the identification of Algae, Sea Grass, Forams, Sponges, Stony Corals, Soft Corals, Sea Anemones, Sea Jellies, Zoanthids, Corallimorphs, Black Corals, Flatworms, Segmented Worms, Crustaceans, Barnacles, Shrimps, Rock Lobsters, Hermit Crabs, Squat Lobsters, Molluscs, Chitons, Univalves, Bivalves, Cephalopods, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid, Opisthobranchs, Nudibranchs, Sea Slugs, Bryozoans, Sea Mosses, Echinoderms, Sea Stars, Feather Stars, Brittle Stars, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Ascidians/Sea Squirts, Marine Fish, Sharks, Marine Reptiles and Marine Mammals, all found in the waters around the reefs in Shark Bay and its environs.
( Copyright Neville Coleman/Nigel Marsh)
