Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Are there any age restrictions on a Whale Shark Eco tour?
A. No there are not. Our vessel is specifically designed for Whale Shark Eco tours. Our marlin board (the plat form you use to get on and off the boat) sits flush (level) with the water; this makes our boat extremely easy for all ages to get on and off. Some other boats have raised marlin boards which means you need to have the strength to pull your self out of the water.

Q. Are Whale Sharks dangerous?
A. No they are not. They are a totally harmless filter feeding fish – this means they can not eat humans!

Q. What size Whale Sharks do you swim with?
A. Whale Sharks around 5 – 8 m are the most common on the Ningaloo Reef. However they can grow up to 18m!

Q. How much time do you spend in the water with the Whale Sharks?
A. The time in the water varies from tour to tour. We can only swim with any one Whale Shark for a maximum of 60 minutes. We generally spend 5 – 10 minutes per swim in the water besides the Whale Shark – rest for about 5 minutes then repeat the process.

Q. How do you find the Whale Sharks?
A. We locate the Whale Sharks using a spotter plane. We share a spotter plane with other companies, this basically means that we can have the plane in the air for longer and have up to 3 spotter planes looking for Whale Sharks at any one time! Not only does this mean a better success rate, we also have a better chance of locating multiple whale sharks.

Q. What if I don’t see a Whale Shark?
A. This is an uncommon occurrence. There were only 8 days out of the whole 2005 season we didn’t see a Whale Shark! See No sighting policy

Q. Are Exmouth and Coral Bay both the Ningaloo Reef?
A. Yes, Exmouth and Coral Bay are both situated on the Ningaloo Reef, however are on opposite ends of the reef. There is an approximate 1 Ѕ hr drive between Coral Bay and Exmouth.

Q. What is your policy on children?
A. A child is classified from 2 – 14 years of age.
Children are more than welcome on our tours, we have our boat designed so kids can go swimming with the Whale Sharks too! All children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Unfortunately we do not supply wetsuits for smaller children, we advise them bringing their own rash vests for sun protection.

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