Needing to make some progress towards Northam as we have only have two and a half weeks left to travel the remaining 1300 km (800 miles), we set off again to the south.
We had had a phone call from some friends who are ahead of us on the road telling us that the trip out to the reef at Coral Bay was not to be missed. As it happened, yesterday's unusual exertions left us both really tired so we were happy to have drive for only a couple of hours.
We went took the morning trip in the semi-submersible coral viewing boat to see the other end of Ningaloo Reef. We the boat all to ourselves. The view was great and we saw masses of fish and lots of coral.
The guide explained the lack of colour in the coral. Apparently the coral found in sheltered waters is mostly hard coral and is generally brown or muted green, occasionally blue or purple whereas the coral that grows in the more exposed parts of the reef is soft coral and is more brightly coloured.
There is an alternative theory, that the photos and films we all see in magazines and on TV are taken at night using special lights to enhance the colour.
I tried to capture in my memory the fishes we saw and identify them afterwards from the book. This wasn't particularly successful as I cannot find the book
Whatever, we had a very enjoyable trip and would recommend it to anyone interested in wild life.