WATCH: Those who’ve tried it are raving about it. Take a look at the new underwater Aussie bucket list experience.
Already known for its whale shark swim experiences, Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef is now offering visitors the chance to swim with humpback whales.
Trial tours enabling interaction with humpback whales have been running for the past couple of months, with about 200 people booking tours in the first week alone.
And the reviews so far have been glowing.
“I’ve been in Australia 10 months and travelled both the east and west coasts, and this was by far the most amazing thing I have done!” wrote
“I can’t stop raving about it.”
“What a surreal experience — the guides were as excited as us,”
.
For those who’ve found themselves up close, it’s not just the sight of a humpback that’s breathtaking, but listening to their sounds.
“What can you say when you have just had humpies coming up to your boat asking you to get in the water with them and then singing to you when you do get in?”
The humpback whale was previously an endangered species along the WA coast, but conservation efforts have boosted the mammal’s population in the area to about 30,000.
Although humpback whale swim tours already run in Queensland and a handful of other destinations including Tonga and Mexico, Ningaloo offers the added bonus you might also see or swim with a whale shark while you’re out on the water.
Eleven tour operators from the Ningaloo region are participating in the trial.
There’s strict rules around interaction with the whales, with only five swimmers allowed in the water at once.
The trial runs until November 30, and with operators already calling it a success, humpback whale swims look likely to become a permanent part of the region’s tour offerings.
For a list of tour operators and more details visit
