THE radio in the skipper's cabin crackles and an excited voice is heard through its speakers: "Whale shark, three o'clock!"

On board the Ningaloo Blue, excitement sweeps through the vessel. Both crew and tourists rush to the edge of the boat to catch the first glimpse of this gentle behemoth of the sea.

A group of 20 people, divided into two groups of 10 people each, and already in snorkelling suits, anxiously scan the turquoise waters sparkling with the reflections of the bright morning sun.

They grip the railings of the rocking boat and strain their eyes for the tell-tale shadow of the huge fish they have come to swim with.

A spotter plane flying high above this area, known as the Ningaloo Marine Park, in this sequestered north-western Australian coastal stretch, had caught sight of the creature, a flat-headed, wide-mouthed fish of the shark family but which is a docile and harmless plankton eater. Because it can grow up to 18m in length, it became known as the whale shark.

Suddenly, excited shouts erupt as fingers point to a speckled blue-grey shape looming in the crystal clear waters. It is a 12-metre whale shark, its gigantic body moving sluggishly to the sea surface.

The dive masters heading each group beckon their teams to jump into the sea from a low platform at the back of the boat. The dive masters lead the way swimming slowly towards the formidable fish.

"Do not make splashes in the water. We don't want to disturb the shark," says dive master Allen Hamish, 25, to his team members, now togged with goggles and flippers.

The other team, led by Ms Katie Brooks, 26, moves to another area of the sea. The plan is to have the two groups swim on each side of the whale shark but keeping a berth of 4m from it.

This much-anticipated adventure is unfolding in the coastal waters which form part of the Indian Ocean. The morning is chilly and the thought of an encounter with this awesome fish sends hearts pounding with wild anticipation and not without some anxiety for the first-timers.

"Has anyone been hurt by a whale shark before?" asks one.

"No," skipper Brad Webster, 34, says tersely but smiles. He has spent many years on this adventure without incident.

Ms Jessica Tan, 31, from Her World and Ms Felicia Khoo, also 31, from Shape magazine are among the swimmers. Together with their other team mates, they come out of the sea and jump back again no fewer than eight times as more sightings take place during our five-hour "Swim with the Whale Shark" tour of the area. During this period, we saw hundreds of dolphins, swimming playfully alongside our boat or darting swiftly under it. We caught sight of a humpback whale in the distance, jellyfish, a marlin, a bright yellow poisonous sea snake and manta rays.

Fresh out of the water from her first venture that morning, Ms Tan enthuses: "It was unbelievable! The corals are so colourful!"

From left: Ms Khoo, Ms Tan and Mr Mason are elated after their encounter with the whale shark. [Photo: Philip Lee]

Tourism Australia escort Murray Mason, 44, is a cheerful man who was with the three of us throughout our six days in this eco haven. He says of his maiden whale shark encounter: "I feel so humbled that this shark allowed us to invade its privacy. It was sublime."

For us three Singaporeans, this outing was a true-to-life National Geographic moment. And for the rest of our visit, as guests of Tourism Australia, we were taken to spots which few Singaporeans have been to, or so say the people in the eco industry there.

This is one spot where people can truly get away from it all - a yearning Singaporeans have often expressed. No place is crowded here.

We took an educational drive through the vast Australian outback - hectare upon hectare of arid bushland - and learnt how animals like kangaroos and emus thrive there.

Then there was a night spent in a tent by the sea in Ningaloo Reef Retreat where we had the first snorkelling outing.

We sailed out on a catamaran during the sunset, visited Shell Beach - covered by sunbleached seashells - at Shark Bay, and later studied the night sky bejewelled by stars brighter than we had ever seen.

The aptly named Shell Beach at Shark Bay, a World Heritage site. [Photo: Tourism Australia]

Next stop, Exmouth

Our Australian fun started on June 13 when we boarded a Qantas Airbus A380 jetliner for a cosy business-class trip to Perth where we stayed at the Hyatt Regency.

We were up early the next day for a two-and-half hour air journey by a Skywest Fokker50 plane to the coastal town of Exmouth up north, 1,270km from Perth. That was when the adventure started.

For those who love nature and the outdoors, there cannot be a better outing. From July until September, this stretch gets busier as tourists, mostly Australians and visitors from Europe and Amercia, flock there. Few Asians do.

The adventure aside, I also found that meeting and chatting with the many Australians we met, including our escorts, was a special treat.

Top photo: Tourism Australia

For more information, visit www.australia. com or www.westernaustralia.com

For Skywest holiday packages to Exmouth or Monkey Mia visit www.skywestholidays. com.au

This trip to Western Australia was sponsored by Tourism Australia and Qantas.