Almost everything in Coral Bay revolves around the water. The Ningaloo Reef comes within wading distance of the main beach, so you can snorkel straight off the sand and find yourself surrounded by reef fish, turtles and reef sharks within minutes. Glass-bottom-boat tours, dive trips and quad-bike runs along the dunes are all on offer from operators on the main street, but the simplest activity — walking into the lagoon with a mask and fins — remains the best.
The two genuinely unmissable experiences are seasonal: snorkelling with whale sharks from late March to early August, and with humpback whales from mid-August to early November. Both are run as full-day boat trips with spotter planes that find the animals from the air, and both are tightly regulated to protect the wildlife.