Reef-shark nursery
Reef-shark nurseryWalk to the north end of the bay and watch dozens of baby reef sharks cruise the shallows — free, shore-based, and one of Coral Bay’s most distinctive sights.
At Skeleton Bay, a 20-minute walk north along Bill’s Bay, the shallows act as a nursery for juvenile reef sharks. Between roughly October and March, blacktip, whitetip and the odd lemon shark gather in water often no deeper than your shins — up to around 200 small sharks at a time — on a beach where they have been recorded as far back as the 1920s.
It is completely free and self-guided, and utterly unlike the boat-based encounters: you simply walk up the beach and watch the young sharks patrol the edge of the sand. They are wary and easily spooked, so it is a stay-back, watch-quietly affair, all within a no-take sanctuary zone.
When to go
Spring–summer, roughly October–March; warmer months and good midday light are best.
See the full when-to-visit calendar →Experiences
How it works
- Self-guided and free: a ~20-minute walk north along the beach (rocky in sections — wear footwear).
- Watch from the shallows; the sharks come and go with the tide and time of day.
More info
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