2023.11 - South Lefroy Bay Snorkel
Xander and Leanne retrieve their lost paddles and visit a favourite snorkelling beach.
This post is a follow-up to our visit to the Fin Shipwreck on 2023.11.04.
What do you do when you leave your paddles in a safe spot, but two hours from home? Plan another day-trip, to one of your favourite beaches!
Prologue - Our First Visit
We first visited South Lefroy on 2023.08.27 while roaming Ningaloo Station in search of adventure.
Following a recommendation from a camp host we drifted from site 1-12. The whole snorkel was great, with a mature green turtle, a nudibranch, an eel and heaps of our favourite blue ‘playdough’ starfish.
But what really took the experience to the next level was the biggest anemone we've ever seen! It had completely taken over a two metre coral bombie and was supporting a thriving population of critters.
Return
It took two weeks from our visit to the Fin for our work schedule and some bush fires to clear up.
When the day came we left Coral Bay at mid-morning, an hour later we saw the impacts of the bushfires up close. Notice how Carbadia-Ningaloo Road has been used as a firebreak.
Chasing Turtles
While collecting our paddles we paused to gaze at the Frazer Island sandbar on the horizon and scan the beach for turtles.
This proved fruitful, with the distinct silhouette of a mature green turtle nestled beside some coral.
We quickly donned our snorkels and entered the water. But the turtle had no interest in being anywhere near us and took off at speed, only allowing me to take the blurry picture above, (bottom left).
South Lefroy Snorkel
After this, we made our way to South Lefroy Campground and followed the signs for site 12. We had a quick lunch under the awning then wandered up to site 1 for the drift snorkel.
Shark
The snorkelling was beautiful, but had been lacking in ‘feature’ animals, so we were thrilled when we encountered a White Tipped Reef Shark on our way back into shore.
Anemone City
We finished the snorkel with the massive anemone we had come back for, if you want to find it for yourself look around in front of site 12.
With the paddles retrieved, swim complete, and all out of snacks it was time to head home for the day!
Reflections
When I first realised we had left our paddles behind there was a part of me that thought about just heading straight back to fetch them asap.
I’m glad we made a day out of it instead. This was a lot more fun than a four hour errand when I’m already tired!
Trail Tip
The photo above shows the stretch of beach featuring sites 1-12 at South Lefroy Campsite. We are parked down by site 12 and there is only site 2 in use.
Many Western Australians stop thinking about visiting Ningaloo as Perth starts to warm up, but we had stunning conditions for this adventure and being able to camp at South Lefroy when it’s this quiet would be a real treat.
You could even camp right in front of the anemone city!
Links
https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/site/south-lefroy-bay-campground
Next post: Thursday 2023.11.30
Xander and Leanne enjoy some kayak snorkelling back home in Coral Bay. Low tide and low winds provide fantastic conditions for a visit to Lotti’s and Cowtails moorings.
