Swim with the king of fish in Ningaloo Reef

There are just too many places worth seeing in Australia to visit in one brief vacation, but if you take a medical job in this wild and wonderful country, you'll get to tackle a much greater portion of the Land Down Under. One place that belongs in the must-see category is the Ningaloo Reef, a World Heritage Site that has gained a reputation as one of the planet's most beautiful paradises.

Between the months of April and June, the most epic adventure awaits in this region—swimming alongside whale sharks. Various company tours, like those aboard the Draw Card boat, send out spotter planes to help locate these creatures—which isn't too tough since they're the world's largest fish—and then guide up to 20 anxious swimmers into the water with their snorkeling gear.

Most of the sharks that you'll see in this area are between 13 feet (4 m) and 40 feet (12 m) in length. The colossal 40-footers can weigh as much as 11 tons and open their mouths as wide as 4 feet (1.4 m). Luckily for you divers, their feast of choice is plankton and other small sea creatures.