Our Fleet: The Boats Behind Your Ningaloo Reef Adventure
Every great day on the Ningaloo Reef starts with the right boat under you. Both of our Coral Bay tour vessels were chosen and customised for one job: getting you close to the reef and its marine life without leaving a mark on either.
They’re shallow-draft, purpose-suited to our tours, with full shade, a flybridge for spotting wildlife from above, and enough room to sunbathe if thats your jam. Here’s a bit about each one.
Utopia
Utopia is the vessel you’ll spend your day aboard for our Best of Ningaloo: Manta Rays, Sharks and Turtle Tours and reef-based encounters in Coral Bay, and she’s built for exactly that kind of day. She’s a customised, shallow-draft boat that comfortably caters for a maximum of 20 guests, keeping things personal rather than packed in.
On board Utopia, you’ll find:
- A spacious, fully shaded back deck
- A cabin with storage for your bags
- Comfy seating up on the flybridge, the best seat in the house for spotting dolphins, whales, dugong, and other wildlife throughout the day
- A bow with standing room for even closer wildlife encounters from the boat
- A low-sitting marlin board for easy access in and out of the water
- A ladder for those who need assistance entering and exiting the water
- An onboard toilet
Utopia is well loved, and over the years has been perfected to make dropping in with animals as quick and easy as possible. She runs on inboard motors to keep noise to a minimum, so wildlife stays relaxed and guests stay immersed in the moment. You may even recognise her from Tim Winton’s ABC documentary series Ningaloo Nyinggulu, among others
West End II
West End II is our twin-hull catamaran, built for the open-water days when we’re heading out in search of the world’s biggest fish on our Whale Shark Odyssey, the incredible Humpback Whale Tours, and our between-season Ningaloo Marine Safari. Like Utopia, she’s a shallow-draft, reef-friendly boat, with the same spacious, fully shaded deck and flybridge seating. So whether you’re scanning the horizon for marine life or already back on board swapping stories from the water, you’re comfortable the whole way.
On board West End II, you’ll find:
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- Extra deck space, well suited to a full day out on the open water
- Seating on the bow for those who want to be right where the action is
- A big cabin with room to store your gear and comfy seating inside, out of the sun or wind
- A low-to-water marlin board for easy entry and exit from the water
- A ladder for those who need assistance entering and exiting the water
- An easy access step ladder from bottom to top deck
- An onboard toilet
West End’s twin-hull design gives her extra stability out past the reef, which makes a real difference across a full season of open-water tours. More time spent looking for animals, less time thinking about the swell!
Meet the Crew
Curious who’ll actually be driving the boat and pointing out what you’re looking at…Read more about our experienced crew here!
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people go on the Manta Ray tour boat?
Utopia caters for a maximum of 20 guests, keeping the Best of Ningaloo tour experience personal rather than crowded.
What boat do you use for whale shark swims?
Our Whale Shark Odyssey, Humpback Whale Tours, and Ningaloo Marine Safari all run aboard West End II, our twin-hull catamaran built for open-water stability.
Are your boats Eco Friendly?
No boat, no matter what clever advertising might tell you, is truly “eco friendly.” What we can say is that we do our best to minimise our impact. We use shallow-draft vessels designed to reduce our footprint on the reef and its wildlife, and we make deliberate choices on board to keep that impact as low as we can. We’d rather be upfront about that than sell you a false narrative.
