Coral Bay
Outback Travel Guide
Coral Bay is around 150kms South of Exmouth and is the southern gateway to the Ningaloo Reef Marine Park and Cape Range National Park. As the name suggests, the Ningaloo Reef is metres off the beach, allowing you to snorkel over the stunning coral gardens and amazing marine life, with over 500 different varieties of fish inhabiting the waters.
Coral Bay itself is a small settlement and life is centred around the water, with some of the best game fishing to be had here in Australia, snorkelling or diving on the Ningaloo Reef, relaxing on the pristine beaches with a book or two, swimming with the whale sharks or watching the majestic manta rays swim through the ocean.
The weather has a lot to do with its relaxed lifestyle centred around the water, with Coral Bay boasting beach weather all year round, with its warm summers and mild winters, and averaging little more than 100mm of rainfall throughout the year.
There is limited accommodation available in Coral Bay, so if you were planning on visiting during the school holidays, it pays to book early.
Coral Bay Attractions
Ningaloo Reef
Please click on Ningaloo Reef to read up about it.
Cape Range National Park
Please click on Cape Range National Park to read up about it.
Coral Bay Walkway
Take a stroll along the Coral Bay Walkway which fringes the coastline along the Ningaloo Reef. There are a number of vantage points along the shore which offer the chance to see dolphins and manta rays swimming through the crystal clear waters.
Fishing
Coral Bay offers fantastic fishing with red emperor, northwest snapper and coral trout to name a few, however if you are after the big fish, then perhaps go after the black marlin, blue marlin, mahi mahi, Spanish mackerel and sailfish. There are designated beaches where you can cast a line from, or join one of the many tours that will take you offshore.
If you prefer to feed the fish rather than catch them, each afternoon at Main Beach schools of northwest snapper swim into the shore to be fed.
Reef Shark Nursery
A 20 minute walk from Main Beach is a reef shark nursery, where between the months of October and March there may be as many as 200 reef sharks swimming in the shallow waters.
Coral Bay Weather - Average Temperatures and Rainfall
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Avg. Max (°C) | 38.1 | 37.4 | 36.3 | 33.2 | 28.4 | 24.8 | 24.2 | 26.2 | 29.2 | 32.5 | 34.3 | 36.7 |
| Avg. Min (°C) | 22.9 | 24.1 | 23.0 | 20.5 | 16.3 | 13.0 | 11.4 | 12.2 | 13.8 | 16.2 | 18.3 | 20.7 |
| Avg. Rain (mm) | 29.3 | 40.9 | 41.9 | 16.7 | 42.6 | 40.0 | 23.4 | 12.9 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 5.5 |
| Avg. Rain Days | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 |