Swimming with GIANTS

摘要

Polls to find the world's best wildlife-watching adventures invariably feature snorkelling with whale sharks. Everything about these gentle giants is superlative - they average 7-8m long, then huge jaws span up to 1.5m and they can strain 6,000 litresof seawater an hour. Yet despite their size, these filter-feeding leviathans are astonishingly graceful and placid. And there's no better place to meet them than Ningaloo.Hugging the heavenly coastline of Western Australia's North West Cape, Ningaloo Reef stretches for some 260km. At the northern end of the Teef is the tiny township of Exmouth, which has a small airport with direct flights to Perth, while the resort of Coral Baylies in the south.The entire reef has been declared a World Heritage Site in recognitionof its incredible marine biodiversity, and in particular it has become legendary for reliable sightings of whale sharks from mid-March, with the prime season April to July.