Wednesday March 16,2016 – Wow, Wow, Wow – The Wow’s keep coming – Swimming / diving / snorkelling in The Great Barrier Reef. A truly unforgettable experience. However, to start at the beginning. After the continued Northward track with Australia Mainland to our left (port) and The Great Barrier Reef to our right (starboard) we crossed over the Tropic of Capricorn yesterday, thus now back in the southern tropics and warmth. We anchored just off the coast of Yorkeys Knob which is a small town on the outskirts of Cairns. However, we never went ashore as it is also a good place to go to see The Great Barrier Reef (GBR). A large (350 passenger) catamaran picked us (about 250 guests) up along side the ship and took us for 1 1/2 Hour ride out to a pontoon affixed to the sea floor on top of an area of The GBR at a place known as Moore Reef.
The GBR was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981 and is the largest (2600 Km / 1615 mile long) coral barrier reef in the world, visible from outer space and extending the length of Queensland, Australia up to Papua New Guinea (PNG). At one point as the earth was evolving, it was part of Australia. We sailed the full length between The GBR and mainland, past the Whitsunday islands and through the Torres Straits which separate PNG from the northern tip of Eastern Australia’s Cape York Penninsula. The GBR covers an area of 350,000 Sq Km (135,135 Sq Miles / 86,486,883 Acres) and is divided into 4 or 5 principal sections with the largest being the Mackay / Capricon (143,400 Km / 55,370 Sq M); the Far Northern (85,200 Sq Km / 32,900 Sq M); Central (76,100 Sq Km / 29,390 Sq M) etc. It was first discovered by James Cook in 1768 and it is considered the largest living organism in the world. One estimate (Jennifer Holland) indicates there are 1800 different species of fish, 400 species of coral (which have been around 580 million years), 5000 mollusc species, 125 sharks as well as dugongs and green + 5 other species of turtles and many other, birds, plants and animals. While we were snorkelling we had a 2 1/2 ft long turtle swimming next to us eating a jellyfish – great pictures!
On the way out in the Catamaran Carins, many were organising bell diving, SCUBA diving, snorkelling tours etc and had it not been raining all day, helicopters rides. Unfortunately the rain, part of a cyclone that was coming in later in the day, churned up the water, making it cloudy and rainey all day, however we were there to get wet and the 29C (84F) water temperature was most pleasing. We decided to book a private snorkelling tour for the 4 of us, with the oceanographer, which turned out to be a good decision. Upon arrival at this remote pontoon with no other land or human in sight, we disembarked and all were free to partake of the activities. The oceanographer Dan we signed up with, suggested we go on the two boats, have lunch and then swim. We followed his good advice and set out on the glass bottom boat to get our first glimpse of what lay beneath us. What a sight. Wow. Amazing corals in all colours, bright fishes and lots of the hard (fixed) corals and the soft corals that moved / waved in the currents. Both the fish and coral life were amazing in and of themselves, but together were spectacular. We then visited an area below the pontoon which was set up like a mini theatre with windows to the world below. A spectacular array of corals and brightly coloured fish swimming in their habitat and we, intruders in their space, enjoying the marvels of nature. As the “semi-submersible” was going to be some 40 minutes hence, we decided to get back on the catamaran and enjoy a nice lunch. Then came the major task of getting on thin, second skin type wet suits that protect against jellyfish stings as they are everywhere. Being wet, they were tricky getting on, however, we had to have a picture in our outfits before boarding the semi-submersible. This was like a meld between a boat and submarine. One enters the deck of the 40 ft boat as one would any regular boat with its decks, bridge etc. However one then climbs down some 15 steps and it felt and looked like one was inside a submarine, with 2 rows of stools running the length of the vessel facing the hull which was glass windows to look out of and admire the ocean below. We all expected a wow factor as with the glass bottom boat, but were somewhat disappointed. It was amazing, but as the water was a bit murky, and the draft of the boat deeper, the corals and aquatic life could be seen, but in not as much detail as the flatter glass bottomed vessel.
We were now ready for the big event and we were 1000 times rewarded with the most magical half hour one could ever imagine. The four of us donned additional buoyancy wet suits, snorkels (covered in toothpaste then washed off to avoid fogging) snorkel and flippers and were led around by Dan, the oceanographer all holding on to a floating ring, so we were all together. Nelson had a go-pro video camera, Diana had her regular camera within a watertight plastic container and Roger rented an underwater camera from the tour operators. Thus we entered the warm waters and were immediately greeted with the sea turtle eating the jellyfish, I mentioned earlier. As we progressed, the chap would give us a brief talk about what we were seeing, what to look out for and then dive down to point out particularly interesting things. The area outside the pontoon (equivalent to about 2 football pitches) was roped off and all guests had to keep within those boundaries. It was a more than ample space to view that part of The GBR. However, the four of us were taken outside the limits to enjoy some of the most spectacular underwater scenery one could ever hope to lay ones eyes on. The different shapes and colours of coral, the large fish, the small bright fish and all the underwater habitat was stupendous. We saw 3 Giant Clams that live some 60 years and the ones we saw were about 2 1/2 feet (3/4 Metre) wide. One could easily discern the mouth in the centre and when the guide poked the fleshy interior, it immediately closed / “clamed up”, only to open a few seconds later realising “lunch” was not in its grasp! As we continued, we were surrounded by a shoal of some 40 fluorescent blue and yellow fish, flat, about dinner plate sized, swimming all around us, as if we were part of them. Touching these animals, turtle, fish etc in their native habitat and experiencing the array of brilliant colours was a most amazing and unforgettable experience. We were all beaming and excited when the tour ended, so immediately went off on our own, within the restricted area to explore and take innumerable number of pictures underwater. Time came when “all us children had to get out of the pool” and we, reluctantly left the underwater paradise, removing our two lots of wet suits and thus the 1 1/2 hour journey back to our ship for warm showers and tea. We were tired but exhilarated by the experience, but managed to go to the Dixiland Big Band concert after dinner and to a very well done juggling show by John Nations. I will post pictures as soon as I can get them all ready.
Roger & Anne Travels 