Swimming with manta rays is Coral Bay's signature activity. The town's waters hold Western Australia's largest population of reef manta rays, seen year-round, and tour boats head north towards Bateman Bay and the outer reef where a spotter plane locates feeding or cruising mantas. Snorkellers are dropped ahead of the animals and swim alongside; when plankton is thick, mantas barrel-roll and feed in formation just below the surface.

Tours typically last 5–6 hours, include lunch, and add other stops such as snorkelling over reef sharks at a cleaning station and a turtle sanctuary area; sea snakes and dolphins are also common. Tours carry divers and snorkellers together on some operators. It suits anyone comfortable snorkelling in open water.

About Coral Bay: the town is a small resort settlement on Bill's Bay at the southern end of the Ningaloo Coast, about 150 km south of Exmouth. The outer reef lies close to shore, so both lagoon snorkels and outer-reef dives are short boat rides away, and Coral Bay is home to Western Australia's largest resident population of reef manta rays, seen year-round. Much of the water around town lies within the Maud Sanctuary Zone, where fishing and collecting are prohibited. Advanced divers favour the 'cuts', where open-ocean water funnels through gaps in the reef and brings in sharks, mantas and pelagics, while the calm lagoon suits training and beginners. The 2025 marine heatwave affected northern and central Ningaloo most; southern areas including Coral Bay sustained less damage, according to AIMS.

Planning notes: this is primarily a snorkelling site. Typical depth is around 0 m. Access is by boat only, and site selection depends on wind, swell and tide on the day. Best season: Year-round (mantas year-round; whale sharks March–July; humpbacks July–October). Traffic: very popular (dived daily).

Coral Bay is 150 km south of Exmouth (about 1 hr 45 min) and 1,145 km north of Perth via the North West Coastal Highway and Minilya–Exmouth Road; Learmonth airport (Exmouth) is the nearest airport. Dive and snorkel tours meet in town (Ningaloo Reef Dive meets at 8:00 am) and transfer by minibus to the Coral Bay boat ramp, about 2 km south of town via Banksia Avenue, or load from the beach. Most dive sites are within a few kilometres — 10–30 minutes by boat — either inside the lagoon, at the passages ('cuts') through the reef, or on the outer reef north of town towards Point Maud and Bateman Bay.

Coral Bay's lagoon is protected by the outer reef and faces north-west, so it stays calm in the prevailing south to south-westerly winds that close exposed coasts; the outer-reef and passage sites, however, need low swell and light winds. The afternoon south-westerly sea breeze (often 15–25 knots in spring and summer) chops up the outer sites, so dives run in the morning. Tidal flow through the passages can be strong on springs.

Visibility is usually 10–20 m, lower after the March coral spawn (in March 2022 a spawn-related low-oxygen event killed fish and coral in Bill's Bay). Cyclone season November–April; stingers possible in warm months.

Snorkel only. Enter quietly on the crew's signal, stay at the surface to the side of the manta and let it pass or circle; do not dive down on it or chase. Several drops are made per tour.

Coral Bay Eco Tours, Coral Bay Eco Safaris and Ningaloo Reef Dive & Snorkel – daily half- and full-day manta tours (5–6 hours) with spotter plane, often combined with a shark cleaning station snorkel and turtle sanctuary.