Australian Marine Parks

Physical and biological processes drive essential nutrients from Ningaloo Marine Park’s deep oceanic waters to inshore waters, sustaining life on the incredible Ningaloo Reef.

The World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s longest fringing barrier reef and one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. Between Exmouth and Coral Bay, two Ningaloo Marine Parks run in parallel along the coast, working together to protect this natural treasure.

The outer Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) is managed by us and helps protect the deeper, offshore waters while the inner Ningaloo Marine Park (State waters) helps protect the coastal waters and shallow reefs.

The State marine park is managed by the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. We work closely with our State colleagues to manage the two parks in harmony.

The Baiyungu, Thalanyji and Yinikurtura People have responsibilities for sea country in the marine park.

Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) covers 2, 435 square kilometres and is home to deep under-sea canyons, diverse colourful sponge gardens and rich fish communities.

Humpback whales pass through the park on their annual migrations north and south and pygmy blue whales forage in the park’s productive waters, while loggerhead, green and hawksbill turtles are regular visitors.

The marine park is mostly a Recreational Use Zone, with a small National Park Zone located off Point Cloates.

Spend a day saying ‘wow’ underwater as you swim alongside whale sharks, the gentle giants of the ocean.

Whale shark tours depart from Exmouth and Coral Bay and offer an unrivalled opportunity to experience the reef and meet one of its most famous residents. Knowledgeable local guides will introduce you to the code of conduct for swimming with whale sharks, ensuring your visit is stress free for everyone.

The park also offers great fishing opportunities – at Ningaloo, the edge of the continental shelf comes very close into shore, offering productive grounds to hook pelagic species like trevally, tuna, mackerel, marlin and sailfish. Recreational and game fishing is allowed across most of the park so start planning your next trip today!

Download the Recfishwest fishing app to help you stay in the yellow orange Recreational Use zone and do the right thing when you’re out on the water.

Find out about visiting the Western Australian Ningaloo Marine Park.

Innovative science provides an opportunity to meet some of the park’s residents without getting wet.

In mid 2019, Marine Biodiversity Hub researchers spent a week in our park, sending cameras down to the deeper parts of Ningaloo Reef. This research voyage offered a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the habitats and fish communities in the park and gather baseline data. Over time, this data will help us to understand how different pressures are influencing biodiversity across the marine park.

The incredible footage they captured revealed a marine garden wonderland, full of sponges and gorgonian sea fans. Red emperor, gold band snapper, ornate rock lobster, comet grouper and potato rock cod were just a few of the species spotted. How many more can you see in the stunning video below?.

Much of the science happening at Ningaloo focuses on the coastal waters and inshore reef. This research gives us a rare glimpse of deeper mysteries and helps us build our understanding of our this park and shape future management.

Stumpy, Scarface and Zorro …. Meet some of the superheros of Ningaloo Reef.

The Reef’s most famous resident is undoubtedly the whale shark – the size of an average school bus and weighing more than 11 tonnes, it’s lucky that these incredible fish only have plankton on the menu.

Aggregations of whale sharks, mostly juvenile males, gather at Ningaloo each year in spring autumn and winter when spawning coral and plankton blooms provide a rich source of food.

We’ve still got lots to learn about whale sharks, including

• exactly how long they live
• where the adult females live
• where they give birth
• where they travel throughout the year.

Did you know that each whale shark’s beautiful spot and stripe pattern is as unique as your own fingerprints? By recording these patterns, researchers are able to identify individual animals and track where they go and what they do overtime.

The ECOOCEAN citizen science program collates images of whale sharks from all around the world. Tour companies operating on Ningaloo Reef contribute to this data by taking photos and recording locations and you can too.