Name: Swim with Whale Sharks Cruise with Lunch - Full Day
Price: 620.00 AUD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.8 (28 reviews)

Highlights

Swim with the largest fish in the sea
Snorkel the spectacular Ningaloo Reef
Lunch and refreshments included

Slip into the water beside whale sharks on the Ningaloo Reef in Exmouth, with snorkelling, lunch and accommodation transfers all included.

What's included?

Whale shark swim and snorkelling tour on the Ningaloo Reef
Return transfers from your Exmouth accommodation
Wetsuit and snorkel equipment
Morning tea and afternoon tea
Lunch and snacks
Knowledgeable guides
Experienced skipper
Spotter plane assistance to locate whale sharks
Complimentary photos
Department of Biodiversity and Conservation attraction fees

Head out onto Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef for a day spent swimming alongside whale sharks, in one of the few places on earth where you can reliably meet them. The morning begins with a pick up from your Exmouth accommodation at 7am, followed by a safety briefing before the boat moves off for snorkelling and marine interaction.

From 10am a spotter plane sweeps the reef searching for whale sharks, and once one is found you will enter the water in small groups to swim beside the biggest fish in the sea. Between swims there is more snorkelling on the reef, where manta rays and turtles glide past and humpback whales can be seen at play offshore. Wetsuits, snorkel gear, morning and afternoon tea, lunch and photographs are all taken care of, so the day asks nothing of you but your swimwear and a sense of wonder. It is a gift that stays with someone long after the salt has dried.

Important information

Session Length

This experience is approximately seven hours in duration
This experience begins with an accommodation pick up at 7am.

Guidelines

Adults are 16 years and over
Children are between 6 and 16 years old
A family booking covers 2 adults and 2 children
Basic swimming skills are required
A maximum of 20 participants can attend this experience
No more than 10 participants are in the water at any one time
This experience is available between mid March and the end of August each year
Bookings should be made at least 2 weeks in advance of the preferred date
Participants should notify the experience provider of any health conditions or allergies

Cancellation

Change your booking up to 7 days before the start time of your experience
Changes are not permitted within 7 days of your experience
Late arrivals or no shows may result in you forfeiting your experience

Numbers on the Day

The price quoted is for one adult. There is a maximum of 20 people on this experience and there is never anymore than 10 people in the water at any one time.

Weather

The experience will still go ahead in the event of rain or inclement weather. If the experience provider does have to cancel the booking due to poor weather, you will be rescheduled by the experience provider.

Dress Code

Participants should bring swimwear, a towel and something warm to wear, as snorkel equipment is provided and footwear is not required.

Other Info

Please notify if any health conditions and allergies

Location

This experience includes return transfers from your Exmouth accommodation. Please advise your address at the time of booking.

Reviews

4.8

28 reviews

5 stars 25

4 stars 2

3 stars 0

2 stars 0

1 star 1

Amazing experience

Tracey 12 August 2025

Not a strong snorkler but the staff made me feel comfortable in the water, and some amazing pictures. Such a great day Thank you to all involved

Customer Experience

Hi Tracey, we're so pleased to hear you enjoyed your experience. We appreciate you taking the time to leave such positive feedback!

12 August 2025

Wonderful trip highly recommend

crennie 30 June 2025

Great tour, wonderful guides and experience. Highly recommend booking this bucket list tour for your family - travelled with teenage son. Note: make sure you have a USB to save photos, additional cost for video but worth it!

Customer Experience

Hi Crennie, it’s great to hear about your positive experience. Thank you for your kind words and feedback!

1 July 2025

Bucket list item ticked!

Matt 13 June 2025

[Employee of redballoon] Swimming with whale sharks was absolutely unforgettable. The crew were friendly, helpful, and made sure everyone felt safe and confident in the water. Seeing these gentle giants up close was surreal - a real once-in-a-lifetime moment. The lunch was great, and super cool that they had a photographer to capture everyone onboard up close (safe distance) from the giants. Everything ran smoothly and felt really personal. Couldn’t recommend this enough if you’re heading to Exmouth!

Customer Experience

Hi Matt, thank you for your feedback. We appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear about your positive experience!

15 June 2025

Whale Shard - EPIC

Lauirnda 8 April 2025

This was a totally amazing day .... we were very lucky to get swims in with these amazing creates... Ningaloo Blue was amazing in every day worth every cent

Customer Experience

Hi Lauirnda, it is always great to hear about the wonderful experiences our customers have, thank you for sharing!

8 April 2025

Booking was made but no availability of charter

Rachel 10 June 2024

I made the booking for 2 people for the bucket list Whale Shark Swim with Red Balloon and it indicated there were 7 seats still available. I proceeded to make payment and then booked appropriate accomodation in Exmouth for the night prior as it was an early morning start. The following morning got a call from the charter company and they advised me there were no available seats for the experience. The charter company had tried contacting Red Balloon but could only leave a message. I then contacted Red Balloon with an after hours number and advised the agent of the issue - selling tickets and taking money ($1000) to an experience that has no availability and this is misleading. Agent said that the charter company needs to update details with red balloon so they’re aware. I advised they are responsible for what’s on their website and it should be a live booking or be updated more often as 7 is a large number to be a variance. They asked if I wanted to book another experience or have voucher or refund. I took the refund.

Keerat

Hi Rachel, thanks for your feedback. Great customer experience is incredibly important to us so we're deeply sorry to hear your experience has fallen short of expectation. We would like to discuss this with you further and will reach out by email shortly.

10 June 2024

Incredible experience and worth every cent!

Ted 1 June 2024

What an incredibly great day. This company came highly recommended and didn’t disappoint. On time, safe, supportive, clean, lovely food and lots of it with the most amazing experience of seeing an incredible marine park. No experience was rushed. Every single staff member cared about every single client and maximised our time. I had an incredibly long swim with 5 whale sharks and so up close and personal. We snorkelled over the lagoon and saw dolphins, manta rays, stingrays, orcas and humpback whales, turtles, dugongs and 100s of species of bright and beautiful fish. I’d do this again even though I am on a tight budget. It’s an experience that is worth every cent. Thank you so much for loving your jobs all staff and making this such an incredible time for all of us. Red Balloon was an excellent way for a crowd funded gift to give something so meaningful.

Mya

Hi Ted, it is always great to hear about the wonderful experiences our customers have, thank you for sharing!

3 June 2024

Ningaloo blue Dive - swimming with whale shark tou

Brooke 24 May 2024

This tour was amazing the crew on board were very friendly made everyone feel comfortable and were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their jobs Lunch and morning tea were amazing one of the better ones I’ve had on a tour Swimming with the Whale Sharks was amazing one of those once in a lifetime experiences, highly recommend

Cassie

Hi Brooke, your feedback is important to us, and we’re so glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience!

27 May 2024

A Great Experience

Marilyn 19 April 2024

From the pick up to drop off the adventure was wonderful Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable, looking after everyone’s needs We had numerous dives some over coral and a great array of tropical fish and we even saw a turtle and small reef shark We were lucky to have 5 dives swimming with whale sharks Visibility was amazing Lunch and refreshments were great and plentiful A glass of sparkling wine at the end was a fitting finale

Mya

Hi Marilyn, thank you for your feedback. We appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear about your positive experience!

25 April 2024

Unforgettable experience

Sharna 2 April 2024

The whole day and experience was incredible. The crew were super lovely and very clear with their directions to make sure we had the best chance of seeing the whale sharks. And we saw 2 whale sharks at one time which was incredible. We mainly followed one shark most of the day which was really cool. An amazing creature!

Keerat

Hi Sharna, it is always great to hear about the wonderful experiences our customers have, thank you for sharing!

4 April 2024

Such an amazing day!

Tess 6 July 2023

The whole day was absolutely amazing! The whole team was fabulous. We learnt so much from the girls about Exmouth, the reef and of course the whale sharks. Can not recommend it enough.