Ningaloo Reef, Australia - Manta Ray Expeditions
Manta Ray Research Expeditions aboard Shore Thing
The crew of Shore Thing will be teaming up with researcher Frazer McGregor to collect further data on the manta ray population of Ningaloo Reef and we are inviting guests to join and participate in this unique opportunity. These customized, marine research & conservations based tours will focus on identifying individual manta rays (by way of photo-identification) and collecting data to better understand their movements and the way in which they make use of the Ningaloo Reef along with various other projects that our guest researcher is involved in. |
As with all Sail Ningaloo tours, all meals and activities are included and you can also expect to be part of informative presentations from a renowned researcher. Each day the team that you are part of will actively seek manta rays out and swim with them in Ningaloo's beautiful tropical waters. You will also have the opportunity to snorkel or dive pristine sections of the reef. Each night we will anchor in a sheltered lagoon within the confines of the reef system.
Daily movements and destinations will depend on the locations of Manta Rays but you can be assured you will get to see the best of the Ningaloo Reef and the amazing underwater environment it houses and leave our trip with a better understanding of how special and unique this environment is and how significant it is to Manta Rays in Western Australia.
Please contact us for further information about our research based expeditions and when our Manta Ray tours are scheduled for departure in 2013.
Customised expeditions can be tailor made to suit small group's interests, please contact us for more information.
Check our calendar of departures and make a booking enquiry
Coral Bay Manta Rays
Coral Bay is a hotspot for Manta Ray activity on the Ningaloo Reef and Western Australia and it is one of the most reliable places in the world to swim with Manta Rays. Encounters with one of Ningaloo's graceful giants occur all year round and is an experience not to be forgotten.
In 2012 and 2013, Sail Ningaloo will be working closely with local researcher and Murdoch University PhD Candidate, Frazer McGregor, to collect more information on these graceful giants of the marine world.
Batemans Bay, just north of Coral Bay, provides one of the largest openings in the 260km reef line that makes up Ningaloo. The high volume of water that moves in and out of this bay provides a dynamic marine environment which manta rays make use of for foraging, feeding and mating.
Manta Research in Coral Bay
Manta ray research in Coral Bay has been on going since 2003, it has helped to identify areas that are of significant importance to the Ningaloo coastal manta ray population. Frazer McGregor has been instrumental in these studies and together with the Coral Bay community has identified over 530 individual manta rays.
Ningaloo mantas are coastal manta rays, Manta alfredi, and can grow up to 4.5m wide (wing tip to wing tip). Studies have shown that the majority of the mantas identified are transient and use the Coral Bay area intermittingly. A small group form a resident population that are frequently sighted and many have been named by the local community.
Sightings range from young juvenile males up to fully grown females. The majority of manta rays are of the common white underside with dark coloration on top, however Ningaloo is also fortunate to have a number of Manta Rays that are of completely black coloration, at times known as a "Vadar" Manta.
The Ningaloo manta population uses the reef as a source of food and a haven in which they rest, clean, mate and even give birth. The majority of interactions with mantas on Ningaloo are by way of snorkeling, this allows people of all skill levels to experience these graceful giants.
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Check our calendar of departures and make a booking enquiry
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