Ningaloo Reef

This reef does something almost no other does, letting you wade straight in from the sand rather than needing a boat, Australia's largest fringing reef known to its traditional owners as Nyinggulu. Swim with whale sharks between March and August, one of the few reliable places on the planet, or catch the humpback migration from August through October. Cape Range National Park holds the calmest, clearest shallows, coral crowded with tropical fish just off the beach. The whole coast feels like it's holding its breath.