Tantabiddi Sanctuary Zone (Staghorns & The Bombies)

Meet the site

The Tantabiddi Sanctuary Zone lies immediately beside the busiest boat ramp on the west side of Ningaloo, and DBCA has installed two kayak moorings — Staghorns and The Bombies — about 1.3 km from the beach so visitors can snorkel the lagoon reef without anchoring. Depths range from 1.5 m to 3.5 m, so DBCA recommends snorkelling at high tide only.

Staghorns, as the name suggests, is centred on branching Acropora thickets that shelter clouds of damsels, chromis and juvenile fish; The Bombies is a patch of coral heads with more relief and larger fish. Turtles, reef sharks, rays and octopus are commonly encountered in the Tantabiddi lagoon, and manta rays and whale sharks sometimes pass outside the reef in season.

The sanctuary zone is no-take, and fishing is prohibited, which keeps fish numbers up right beside a heavily used ramp. The main hazard is boat traffic in the lagoon and through the channel to Tantabiddi Passage; tow a dive flag or stay near the kayak. The shallow depth and branching corals mean fin kicks and standing are damaging — float and use good technique.

Tantabiddi is also the launch point for whale shark, humpback and west-side dive boats, so it is a convenient snorkel before or after a tour. Staghorn coral is among the most heat-sensitive, and the 2025 heatwave is likely to have affected these sites.

Planning a Cape Range day: the national park's lagoon sites stretch about 50 km along Yardie Creek Road from Tantabiddi to Osprey and Sandy Bay, all within the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Coast. The reef crest sits a few hundred metres to a couple of kilometres offshore, enclosing a lagoon of sand, seagrass and coral bommies, and a series of sanctuary zones (look but don't take) protect the best-known snorkel areas. There are no shops, fuel or air fills in the park, so bring water, food, sun protection and reef shoes from Exmouth. The Milyering Discovery Centre has current information on conditions and zones. Mornings are usually calmer, clearer and cooler than afternoons, and checking the tide chart is essential for the shallower sites.

What you might see

Staghorn Acropora thickets, damselfish and chromis, reef fish, turtles, reef sharks, rays, octopus; mantas and whale sharks offshore in season

Location

Lagoon snorkel sites with kayak moorings about 1.3 km off the beach in the Tantabiddi Sanctuary Zone beside Tantabiddi boat ramp, north-west Ningaloo.

Facilities nearby

Tantabiddi boat ramp: toilets, parking; no shade, fuel or shop.