At these times the moon's orbit lines it up with the sun, and their gravitational pull on the earth is combined. Nowhere is the power of the moon greater than in the sea and on the creatures of the deep. As the sun and the moon join forces to draw the sea into a huge tidal wave that sweeps round the world, many marine animals react, timing their lives by this cosmic calendar. In western Australia, a great reef called Ningaloo protects the white beaches of the Cape Range Peninsula. The tropical climate and low rainfall produce the warm, clear water that coral needs to grow.
Holiday makers come here to soak up the sun and swim in the azure sea.
But every March, on a neap tide and under a full moon, the water turns a cloudy, deep pink. The coral spawns at night and on a neap tide because there are fewer predators around. The mass of eggs can drift out to sea, enabling some of the larvae to find a suitable place to stop and grow. Although the reef is home to a wondrous array of animals, including delicate worms, beautiful sea slugs and fish of many colours, whale sharks are its most impressive visitors. Whale sharks sift tiny organisms from the sea.