Day 6 - 14 June - Reef Snorkelling

A photo from the web...
but one that shows the brilliant colours of the reef

Those of us with sufficient confidence in our swimming abilities and resistance to sea-sickness (Kathie, Jan, Merille, Joye, Duncan, Graeme and Don) lined up at the dock at 9:00 AM to board the 40 seat Poseidon ship for a day of viewing the outer reef. As we boarded, we thanked our lucky stars for the bright sunshine and calm shifting breeze. Some of our group grabbed seats near the side of the boat to catch the cooling breeze on a 1.5 hour trip to the outer reef.

Graeme can be identified by his distinctive hairstyle

One hour into the voyage, the weather became more windy. Fortunately, there was no rain, but a cold breeze whipped the white caps off the waves and showered the passengers with cold water. On the way out we were entertained by the crew with 'academy award performances' showing use of equipment and safety procedures. Our ladies hired wet suits for buoyancy and to provide shelter from the cold wind. Joye also used a 'noodle' to help with buoyancy. We were issued with snorkels and flippers.

See Joye making good use of her pink noodle

At the first of three stops, we had sunshine. The water was a warm 25 degrees... so there was an incentive to get into the water quickly. This was the best reef snorkelling I had experienced. The water was clear and the sunlight provided vision down to 4-5 metres. The colours and the variety of fish was spellbinding. Looking in any direction you could see 20-30 different species of fish... all displaying weird shapes and specialised behaviours. Looking into deeper water, you could see the scuba divers blowing bubbles that made interesting shapes as they raced to the surface. Crevices in the coral wall hid some of the bigger fish. The coral trout were especially interesting. Under water you could hear them munching on the coral and see them purge themselves of digested coral to makes the sand the fills all the tropical beaches.

For the first time in Joye's snorkelling experience, she felt relaxed and safe. The added buoyancy of the noodle allowed her to float around without the need to tread water. She came back on board inspired by visions of coral and fish... scenes she had not previously experienced first hand.

I exhausted myself chasing fish and seeking out new hidey-holes for different species. Then it came time to get back on board ship. This was the OMG moment. The wind felt freezing and it took a long time to make your way back to where you had stowed the towels and clothes.

Kathie & Jan - ready to chase turtles

Next, we had our luncheon to help generate some heat. We travelled for a few more of kilometres to the next stop. This was a smaller atoll of coral; one that could be safely circumnavigated. There was less enthusiasm in the way we all jumped into the water. Everyone now knew they'd freeze upon exit. The tide was falling, so there was less water clearance to swim over the coral. I thought it would be smart to swim counter-cyclical to the main group so that I could see fish that were less disturbed by the crowd. That was an excellent plan for half the circuit. For the balance of the trip, my tactics lead to many collisions with swimmers not looking where they were going.
There were many schools of bigger fish swimming just off the atoll. The range of soft corals with vivid colours seemed more extensive. Once more the environment was simply breathtaking. The reef is surely the jewel of Far North Queensland. The photographer on board was encouraging guests to dive and pose for a photo next to colourful clams or dive towards schools of fish. Some of the photos turned out to be works of art. Unfortunately the ones taken of our group had few redeeming features... flabby flesh... thinning hair... you get the picture.

Our final stop was right on the outer reef. You could see the waves breaking on the outer wall. The staff attempted to conduct tours of small groups around the favourite snorkelling spots. There was a pet green turtle that frequented the spot, but he chose not to make an appearance this time. Kathie was lucky in spotting her own green turtle. The rest of us had to settle for following white-tipped sharks making their way through schools of larger fish. Because of the time of day (not a feeding time) the other fish paid no attention to the shark. Everyone was exhausted by all the swimming and finally had to climb on board for the last time. We once more went through the thorough head-count process... then pulled up anchor and made our way back to Port Douglas. Time to enjoy another coffee and tasty slices.

If this excursion had been our only activity, the trip to Port Douglas would have been a success.

That night we dined at the Italian restraunt in Macrossan Street and tried to explain to our land-lubber friends the difference between swimming with the fish and seeing them in a travel brochure. They had enjoyed their time with a quick round of golf and travelling by car to Kuranda.

Four of our group (Jeff, Joan, John and Jenny) had flights the next day... so the Italian dinner was our last full-group event. They were hoping that dust and grit from the Chilean volcano would ground the planes heading for Sydney.... giving them an excuse for a longer stay. We all thought Port Douglas provided an amazing holiday experience... one that we will long remember.