Queensland holiday - part 2
In the second half of our Queensland vacation, we did a whole lot of ocean-focused things. Boys continued to love bodysurfing as demonstrated here. The water is crazy warm at 77-80*. Just watch out for the crocodiles. More on that later.
We made two snorkeling trips. We did a lot of reading and research on reef tour providers in order to sort through the myriad options of trips - snorkeling (2-4 stops around the reef), scuba diving, underwater mini-subs, glass bottomed boats and more. You can also choose the type of vehicle from basic ferries to yachts. Most trips depart from Cairns, but others go from Port Douglas. Providers often have specific areas of the reef they are authorized to take groups to minimize the impact on the coral by managing the frequency and group size. After getting excellent advice from our condo manager to review the predictions for wind speeds to get the calmest day on the water, we booked with a recommended vendor out of Port Douglas so that we could include 3 long (1-1.5 hour) snorkel stops on a boat with morning tea, hot/cold lunch buffet, and afternoon coffee/tea over the 8 hour day. I'll tell you right now that I don't have any underwater photos, and Jeremy hasn't had a chance to process the photos yet, so you'll have to wait for those...
Before I talk about the full-day reef trip, I'll share about our trip to Fitzroy Island, a national park on an island within a short (45 minute) ferry ride from Cairns. We opted to take this trip to see some of the inner reef and to test drive how snorkeling gear worked for the kids; the boys had each snorkeled once in Destin, Florida earlier this year.
As you can see from the photo of Miles, the beach on Fitzroy Island is essentially made of coral. As you'd expect, the coral this close to Cairns isn't in great shape, but we still saw loads of bright and colorful fish, and even saw a hawskbill sea turtle! We were able to pop into the water and check out the amazing fish and corals at our own pace. Miles did fairly well, and Baxter was a natural. We did the buddy system with the kids, and spent the morning on Nudey beach (it's definitely clothing mandatory) and the afternoon snorkeling along the beach next to the turtle rehabilitation center on the island. (This is, of course, where Jeremy and I saw the turtle in the water!) It was a hot and sweltering day, but we all got to see lots of fishes and enjoy our first glimpse of the reef.
The outer Great Barrier Reef trip was a few days later, after more bodysurfing in Trinity Beach and at Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas where sometime that day (after we left) a 4 meter (13 foot) saltwater crocodile was spotted - glad we didn't end up as croc bait!
Our all day reef trip was basically an 8-5 day on the water. The ride out to the outer reef area is 90 minutes each way. The boat wasn't packed (due to COVID-19 limitations) and the crew was helpful and knowledgeable. They provided some interesting books on the corals and fishes, and had an expert give an orientation before each of our stops to talk about the features of the area. The Agincourt Ribbons was the section of the reef we visited, which is a short 3.7k from the edge of the Continental Shelf.
The good news is that the boys did all three dives on the tour. Baxter was immediately into snorkeling - he LOVED it. He took breaks when he needed to, but he loved exploring each of the areas we visited. Miles was a little fearful of touching the coral to get cut or scraped by the coral - he didn't trust that he was at a safe distance despite our reassurance... sigh. Interestingly when Miles saw a school of fish clumped together he immediately tried his best to dive down underwater! He definitely increased his confidence with every dive! At one point Jeremy and Baxter saw 5 reef sharks congregating, and they were thrilled! All in all, we all felt so fortunate that we got to see a little part of the 1,400 miles of Great Barrier Reef. We were blow away at the colors, diversity of fish, the gorgeous corals. It was amazing. I think we've ruined the kids forever by one of their first snorkeling experiences being at the best reef in the world!
It was a perfect weather day - calm winds and clear waters. We got to see so many fish that I cannot even name. I kept thinking it felt like swimming in my dentist's salt water aquarium! It was a stunning place that I feel priviledged we got to visit and appreciate. I'm so glad we made this journey up to QLD and have this amazing experience on the reef.
