- November - December Season November - December
If you want to make the most of your holiday and create an unforgettable experience, join us to see a variety of ocean life in the magnificent Ningaloo coral reef lagoon.
Quick Details
We are offering a different tour for our 2020 season in place of this tour. Go to Life on Ningaloo section of our tours tab to learn more
Previous guests on our humpback whale swimming tours have described the experience as ‘life-changing’ and ‘the best thing I’ve ever done.’ Do you want to have this unforgettable experience?
Our focus at Live Ningaloo is on offering bespoke small-group tours. We host a maximum of 10 guests on our humpback whale swimming adventures, so you can benefit from an intimate and high-quality tour experience. We are one of only a few operators who have been licenced to trial humpback whale swimming tours again in 2019.
On our tour, you interact closely with magnificent humpbacks, the acrobats of the ocean. We escort groups of seven at a time to snorkel and swim within a safe distance of them. The whales, measuring up to 18 metres long and weighing as much as 40 tonnes, are easy to spot as they exhibit behaviours such as breaching, slapping the water with their tales (flukes) and fins, and blowing streams of water up to 6 metres in the air.
Each year, humpback whales begin their epic migration northwards from the cold waters of Antarctica, to the tropical waters of Broome, Western Australia. Their migration is one of the longest of any mammal in the world at approximately 6,700km long, and lasts for up to 8 months.
The Exmouth Gulf, where all life on Ningaloo Reef starts, provides an important resting area for the whales and offers one of the best chances to see them up close. We will be offering our Humpback Whale Swimming Tours as part of a limited trial from 1 August to 31 October 2019, when thousands of Humpbacks are expected to again pass through the Ningaloo Marine Park.
Our focus at Live Ningaloo is on offering bespoke small group tours. We host a maximum of 10 guests (x7 swimmers and x3 observer spaces available) on our humpback whale swimming adventures so you can benefit from an intimate and high-quality tour experience.
We are one of only a few operators who have been licenced to trial humpback whale swimming tours again in 2020. On our tour, you’ll be able to interact closely with magnificent Humpbacks, the acrobats of the ocean.
We will escort groups of seven at a time to snorkel and swim within a safe distance of them. The whales, measuring up to 18m long and weighs as much as 40 tonnes, and are easy to spot as they exhibit behaviours such as breaching, slapping the water with their tales (flukes) and fins, and blowing streams of water up to 6 metres in the air.
Our humpback whale swimming tours are suited to a range of ages and swimming abilities and we accept confident swimmers from 4 years of age. You do not need to be able to SCUBA dive to swim with humpbacks. Swimmers should be able to snorkel, swim freestyle and cope with currents and swell in the open ocean, and we can also provide flotation devices to assist those who require.
We may accept younger children who are very competent swimmers to swim and can also cater to some special needs and movement restrictions – please contact us to discuss. Do keep in mind that humpback whales can exhibit exuberant behaviour such as lunging and slapping while in the water. Passengers can participate in our tours as an ‘observer’ and view these amazing mammals from the comfort of our vessel deck. Please note that one parent must accompany the children onboard the boat at all times.
We work closely with an experienced spotter plane pilot, who lets us know where the Humpbacks appear, so we can get you there quickly and efficiently. Because humpback whales are wild animals and we are above all sensitive to their needs, we cannot guarantee that you will interact with one on your tour. We compare the tours to an African Safari, where we search for animals in the wild.
Once our trained crew deem it same, a group of seven people (maximum) will be guided into the water at 50 to 150 metres from the whales. Swimmers are allowed near mothers and young whales 1/2 the size of their mum or larger. Interactions will always be guided by the whales, who may approach swimmers if curious. You may be lucky enough encounter more than one humpback during the tour, however, you should set your own pace and may choose not to swim each time.
If you are not comfortable doing the swim you can participate as an ‘observer’ and view these beautiful creatures from the deck. The duration of each swim will be determined by the whales’ willingness to be seen and interact with you, for a maximum of 60 minutes.
Our luxury vessel, Wave Rider, departs from Tantabiddi Boat Ramp just north of the Cape Range national park entrance in Exmouth. Complimentary transfers are provided to and from Exmouth township for your tour. Advance Bookings for all tours are essential.
Due to the small, intimate scale of our tours with a maximum of 10 places, we recommend booking several months in advance to avoid disappointment.
Swimming with Humpback Whales is an opportunity that has only been offered in Western Australia since 2016, when selected operators were granted licences on a preliminary trial. The new licencing allows us to offer you an intimate swim with Humpback Whales on your own private tour. You’ll be able to interact closely with magnificent Humpbacks, the acrobats of the ocean, in this exclusive experience for a private group of up to 10 people.
Humpback whales, measuring up to 18m long and weighing as much as 40 tonnes, and are easy to spot as they exhibit behaviours such as breaching, slapping the water with their tales (flukes) and fins, and blowing streams of water up to 6 metres in the air. We will escort groups of five at a time to snorkel and swim within a safe distance of them.
Our Humpback Whale swimming tours are suited to a range of ages and swimming abilities and we accept confident swimmers of all ages on private tours. You do not need to be able to SCUBA dive to swim with Humpbacks. Swimmers should be able to snorkel, swim freestyle and cope with currents and swell in the open ocean, and we can also provide flotation devices to assist those who require. We may accept younger children who are very competent swimmers to swim and can also cater to some special needs and movement restrictions – please contact us to discuss.
Do keep in mind that Humpback Whales can exhibit exuberant behaviour such as lunging and slapping while in the water. Passengers can participate in our tours as an ‘observer’ and view these amazing mammals from the comfort of our vessel deck. Please note that one parent must accompany the children on board the boat at all times. We also offer Humpback Whale Watching and Lagoon Snorkelling Tours for those who prefer to observe these magnificent creatures from our vessel.
Due to the limited availability of this tour, we encourage you to contact us well in advance to book a Private Whale Shark or Humpback Whale Swimming Tour.
Don’t need a private booking? You can join our small group Whale Shark Swimming and Adventure Day Tour or Humpback Whale Swimming and Adventure Day Tour instead. We are the bespoke tour specialists at Ningaloo Reef, specialising in small group tours for a maximum of 10 people.
Whale Shark Swimming Dates: mid-March – 31 July
Humpback Whale Swimming Dates: 01 August – 31 October
Eco-tours: 01 November – 31 December
Advance bookings for all tours are essential.
If you want to make the most of your holiday and create an unforgettable experience, join us to see a variety of ocean life in the magnificent Ningaloo coral reef lagoon.
Dreaming of an up-close encounter with either whale sharks? We tailor your excursion to create an intimate, once-in-a-lifetime experience you’ll treasure.