Tantabiddi (Boat Ramp / Lagoon Gap / Outer Reef Drop-off)

Tantabiddi is the western-side ramp of the broader Exmouth fishery, around 35km north-west of town on sealed Yardie Creek Road. This is the launch point that puts you in Ningaloo lagoon water within a minute of leaving the trailer and on the continental shelf in 100m of water within a 20–30 minute run — the reason small trailer boats can realistically chase sailfish, marlin and Spanish mackerel from a day-trip ramp at all. Where the parent Exmouth entry covers the whole cape, Tantabiddi is specifically the open-Indian-Ocean side: the gap through the reef, the bommies inside the lagoon, and the deep blue water outside it.

Inside the lagoon: troll deep divers along the bommies for spangled emperor and coral trout, or anchor and bait-fish with squid and octopus on paternoster rigs. Through the gap: troll skirts and swimming mullet for Spanish mackerel and the occasional wahoo on the reef edge. Outside the reef in 80–150m: switch to live bait or drift skirts on the shelf line for sailfish from spring to mid-summer. Pelagic stickbait and popper sessions on the outer bommies produce GTs and queenfish year-round. The Tantabiddi sanctuary zone sits adjacent to the ramp and is camera-monitored — every drift starts with a check of the Marine Parks WA app.

Sailfish, Spanish mackerel, GTs, queenfish, coral trout, spangled emperor, red emperor, cobia, samson, southern calamari over the inshore weed, plus the wider Ningaloo cast of wahoo, longtail tuna, mahi mahi and the occasional marlin on the shelf.

Launch early — by 10am the seabreeze on the western side is usually onshore and the reef gap gets sloppy. Carry full safety kit; the closest help on the outer reef is a long way back to the ramp. The sanctuary zone boundaries are not intuitive from the water and rangers actively patrol — pre-load the zoning map before you leave the carpark.

Sealed road from Exmouth via Murat Road and Yardie Creek Road, around 35km and 30 minutes by car. The ramp itself is a sealed concrete double-lane facility with a sealed carpark, fish-cleaning table and toilets, run by DBCA. A new replacement boating facility roughly 300m south of the existing ramp is in planning and design as of the 2025–26 state budget. From Perth the drive is around 13.5 hours via the North West Coastal Highway and Minilya–Exmouth Road. Cape Range National Park entry fees apply once you head south past the ramp into the park proper.

Western-side conditions are reef-shaped — the lagoon stays fishable in moderate easterlies and most southerlies because the reef breaks the swell, while the gap and outer water need a settled morning to be comfortable. Tidal range is around 2m and the run through the gap is strong on the change. The Leeuwin and Ningaloo currents both feature on the shelf line. Cyclone season runs November to April and a system in the Indian Ocean can shut Tantabiddi down for a week.

Sharks are the dominant in-water hazard — bronze whalers, tigers and reefies tax hooked fish hard, especially in the shallow lagoon. The Tantabiddi sanctuary zone sits immediately adjacent to the ramp and fines start at $5,000. Cyclone season needs flexible planning. Sun exposure on the water is severe and reef cuts infect quickly. The gap can be a confused mess on an outgoing tide against an onshore breeze.

Closer than anywhere else on the WA coast that you can launch a trailer boat. The continental shelf line in 100m of water sits a 20–30 minute run outside the gap depending on swell and traffic, and sailfish are reliably caught on that drop-off between September and January. Marlin sit a bit further out and are usually a bigger-boat proposition.

The sanctuary zone sits adjacent to the ramp covering a defined section of lagoon and reef — it is a no-take green zone with no recreational or commercial fishing permitted. The recreation zone on the other side of the boundary is where you fish. Use the Marine Parks WA app or the DBCA zoning map before every drift; boundaries are clearly mapped and enforcement is camera-supported.

For the western-side fishery, yes — Tantabiddi is the closest launch to the lagoon, the gap and the outer reef. The Exmouth Marina ramp is the right call for the Exmouth Gulf side, the Muirons and the eastern shoals. Most multi-day Exmouth trips use both depending on the wind.

Spearfishing is allowed in the recreation zone but with restrictions — no spearfishing between Tantabiddi Well and Winderabandi Point, no compressed air (SCUBA or hookah), and no spearing of wrasse, tuskfish, baldchin groper, coral trout, estuary cod or coronation trout. Sanctuary zones are entirely closed to spearfishing. Check the DPIRD spearfishing brochure for Ningaloo before a trip.