Bill’s Bay
The sheltered town lagoon — snorkel straight off the beach, and where the tour boats launch.
Bill’s Bay is the wide, protected lagoon at the foot of town, sheltered by the Ningaloo reef so the water stays calm and clear — one of the easiest, most family-friendly reef snorkels on the whole coast. The coral closest to the beach is recovering from a 2022 mortality event; the richest gardens now sit a little further out, on the drifts and kayak-trail moorings.
It is also the working heart of Coral Bay: there is no jetty, so the manta, whale-shark, glass-bottom-boat and snorkel-cruise boats are launched straight off the beach by tractor. Much of the inner bay is a no-take Sanctuary Zone, so it is strictly look-but-don’t-take.
Things to do here
- Bill’s Bay reef snorkel · Year-round; clearest Apr–Jun and calmest on early mornings.Wade off the town beach and you’re over coral and fish within a few fin-kicks.
- Bill’s Bay swim · Year-round; water rarely drops below ~20°C.A calm, shallow town lagoon — safe and easy for a family dip.
- Coral Bay kayak trail · Year-round; best Apr–Nov, on a higher tide and calm morning.Paddle to numbered moorings on the reef, then drop in and snorkel.
- Bill’s Bay SUP · Year-round; glassiest early mornings.Glassy, protected lagoon water for an easy stand-up paddle.
- Swim with manta rays · Year-roundHover above the reef as resident manta rays bank and barrel-roll below you — Coral Bay’s signature.
- Whale shark swim · Mar–JulSnorkel alongside the world’s biggest fish on the outer reef — from a quieter base than Exmouth.
- Swim with humpback whales · Jul–OctOne of the only places in WA you can legally swim with humpback whales — and Coral Bay opens first.
- Glass-bottom boat tour · Year-round; calm, clear-water mornings are best.See the coral gardens and turtles without getting wet — a Coral Bay staple since 1973.
- Outer-reef snorkel cruise · Year-round.A relaxed boat snorkel over coral the boats reach that you can’t from shore.
- Scuba diving · Year-round; best Apr–Oct (clearest, calmest).Dive grey-reef-shark cleaning stations and coral bommies off the southern reef.
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