Days 191-193- Great Barrier Reef to Daintree Rainforest
Day 191- Wednesday, July 4th- 16˚ South Latitude, aboard Haba Tour’s high speed catamaran “Eclipse”
Destination: Great Barrier Reef
We arose very early so that we would arrive at the Marina in Port Douglas, in far north tropical Queensland, by 8 am, in time for check in at the Great Barrier Reef tour company’s base in the beautiful harbour town of Port Douglas. The outfit we chose was suggested by our Elysium Apartment hosts (who, coincidentally, had been on a teacher exchange to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) because of the personal attention and smaller boat size. It turned out to be the best decision.
We booked just the snorkeling tour, which includes the one hour high speed cat ride out to the Reef, a marine biologist talk about reef ecosystems, morning and afternoon tea, as well as a full buffet lunch.
We had not considered the option of an introductory scuba dive, but the welcoming atmosphere of the crew, and the open invitation to attend the dive briefing, where we could listen and consider the opportunity was very intriguing. The boys were pumped, and the more we thought about it, the more we realised that this once in lifetime opportunity would probably not come again and we should go for it.
Harold, the Dutch born marine biologist who gave the briefing was particularly clear and straightforward with his instructions and we were hooked. We arrived at the reef and were immediately called to the stern dive platform, where we receieved our scuba gear, jumped into wetsuits, and queued up for the dive. Christian, our dive master, went through the procedures and signals with us again, and Mat was first in the water, followed by Kevin, myself, and then Colleen. For the boys, it was a first time under, and once I was in, I had a flashback to the time I went into Lake Clearwater, at Pioneer Camp with scuba gear back in the 1970’s. There is an overwhelming feeling of anxiety as you go under and begin to breathe in the most unnatural of ways, in the most unnatural of places. Christian ran us through the basic procedures of clearing our regulators and evacuating water filled masks under the water. We also practised the simple communications signals of “I’m OK, go up, go down, ear pressure problem, mask problem, etc.” Holding on to the boat’s mooring line, I slowly began a relaxed breathing rhythm, which allowed me to be more calm, and begin concentrating on the overwhelming visual stimuli that the Reef presents to you. We slowly descended, a few centimeters at a time, each time balancing our ear pressure by holding our noses and lightly blowing. I did not know it, but Mat had difficulty balancing the air pressure in one ear and had to ascend once or twice while Kevin and I waited on the line. Christian finally signalled that we were set to go, and we followed him off the descent line toward the Agincourt reef.
The Reef is teeming with life and we did not realise that we were now 10 metres down, winding our way through channels and coral and azure blue colour, surrounded by a rich variety of fish and coral.
We drifted together, up and down, in a huge counter clockwise circle. We looked up and saw that Colleen was floating above us on the water’s surface, and that the photographer was now in front of us. Our “photo shoot” was as new an experience as everything else. Consider that you must follow the photographer’s instructions, given only in hand signals, and once ready for the shot, you must not smile, or risk losing your regulator.
This different world is so foreign to non-divers. You are constantly trying to keep breathing and at the same time soak in the visual sights around you. It seemed like hours, but was really only minutes.
Finally, we arrived back at the mooring line and began our slow ascent, but not before a giant sea cod, almost as big as Kevin, circled us within just centimetres, sometimes touching us as it passed. Thinking that Christian had food, it charged towards us each time, allowing us to pat it as passed.
Once on board, we sat on the dive platform, the adrenaline still rushing through our veins, as we began to talk for the first time in a half hour, the conversation of course, focused on our new experiences. What a rush!
We quickly jettisoned our scuba gear, after shaking hands with Christian in congratulations, and hopped back in the water to snorkel over the same areas where we had just been. The Reef is quite different from above than from below, each point of view having advantages over the other, and providing varied perspectives on the biodiversity.
The day was not over, as we had only reached midday. After toweling off, a full buffet lunch was served on board in the galley, and Tonya, another marine biologist on board (and with an equally humourous style of presentation) gave us a great talk on Reef life, accompanied with photos. Meanwhile, Christian II, the photographer, began posting his photo proofs on the rear deck, and we could see that we would have to splurge for his CD of the photos he took. They were awesome!
Meanwhile, back inside, Christian (the Dive Master), was gathering recruits for a second intro dive, and Kevin eagerly joined the group as we motored south at 25 knots towards Opal Reef. This was an even better site, and Kevin was quickly back in the water and descending the mooring as we donned our snorkel gear and followed above. We missed the White Tipped Reef Shark that cruised by the stern just moments before we entered the water.
We spent the next hour or so with Harold and Tonya, as each provided in-depth information about the various fish and corals that inhabited this particular reef.
We tired quickly and soon, we were back on board, having warm tea (despite the sunshine, and temperatures of the sea and air in the mid twenties C ˚. Keeping our eyes open for Minke whales on our return to Port, most passengers, especially Mat and Kevin, napped while we motored. Others ordered their photo CD’s.
We reflected on our day as we drove towards Palm Cove, realizing that this was one of those days that you never forget for your whole life, and that rich experiences of the living world’s treasures have a long shelf life and change the way you think.
The day was still not over, and we jumped back in the car and drove across town to the condo where fellow exchange teacher Marlene Norsworthy and husband Kim from Edmonton (and brother-in-law Ken and wife Del) were staying. Not wanting the day to end, we stayed late into the evening and enjoyed a fine meal and a lot of laughs.
What a day!!!
Day 192- Thursday, July 5th- North along the Cook Highway towards the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Rainforest
We passed numerous sugar cane operations on our way north towards the Daintree, and, after our last two days, the notion that we really were in a different part of the world, on the Coral Sea, in the rainforest, near the Great Barrier Reef, really settled into our psyche.
Arriving at the Daintree River cable ferry crossing, where crocodile warning signs were posted everywhere, we quickly entered into the depths of the Daintree rainforest heading towards Cape Tribulation. Captain Cook ran aground here in 1770 and named the place, along with other local landmarks, Mount Sorrow and Misery Point. Apparently he was not happy that HMS Endeavour ran aground. The Bloomfield Track, now paved as far as Cape Tribulation, was a controversial project built against the protests of conservationists who felt that this unique area should be left untouched. The environmentalists lost and the road was pushed through, although, in the end, the area did receive its World heritage status a few years later. And it is clear why. The towering trees, beaches and fringing coral along the coast (the only place on earth where coral lines the shore) are impressive.
After 40 kilomteres or so, the pavement ended and we drove past creek crossings and Cassowary crossing signs (a large rare flightless bird that can kill humans with their horned head protection). The entrance to the Cape Tribulation Beach House appeared and we drove down the driveway, checked in, rolled our gear down the walkway, past a cassowary, which was casually foraging beside the first building. Our cottage was a small duplex surrounded by rainforest, with a double and 2 single beds, halfway down the path to the beach, pool and bistro. What an idyllic place!
The camp kitchen, however, was a little unkempt and very busy with lots of young European backpackers. We poached our fish and boiled our rice in 2 small pots, and ate outside, despite the fact that the temperature had fallen below 20 ˚C. After cleaning up, we walked to the seaside Bistro and had tea and desserts, and then savored the southern sky that was so transparent, the Milky Way seemed so close it could be touched. With dreams of stars, and oceans, and diving and coral, we drifted off to sleep.
Day 193- Friday, July 6th - Djubi Rainforest Walk
We awoke to the sounds of the rainforest. Colleen and I took a walk along the beach and watched the sunrise over the Coral Sea, and then did lattés at the bistro. Eventually, we had our breakfast with the boys.
Our goal today was to head to the Djubi Rainforest Walk, where we experienced the rainforest/mangrove/beach environments, and then picnicked. While stopping by the reception office, we decided to book ourselves into a series of tours, so that we would see beyond the immediate area. Saturday’s activities would include a rainforest canopy walk and sunset paddle at Cape Tribulation. Sunday, we will take a 4WD tour up the Cape Tribulation Road and on our return to Cairns, stop at Cooper’s Creek (this side of the Daintree River) to experience the estuary, and perhaps a crocodile or two.
We returned to the beach for a walk, coconut gathering and a swimming race at the pool. Gathering our evening meal, we drove back to Djubi where outdoor BBQ’s are located. Cooking and eating dinner was a race, as the tropical night comes early, and twilight lasts only a few minutes at these latitudes.
The boys played pool under the Bistro’s canopy while I sipped a latté and Colleen enjoyed Cointreau while editing photos. Again, the tropical night was “stellar” and the Milky Way so rich and bright, it is almost unbelievable. We keep reminding ourselves to imprint every moment of this trip into our collective memory, so that even the minutest details are never lost.
Destination: Great Barrier Reef
We arose very early so that we would arrive at the Marina in Port Douglas, in far north tropical Queensland, by 8 am, in time for check in at the Great Barrier Reef tour company’s base in the beautiful harbour town of Port Douglas. The outfit we chose was suggested by our Elysium Apartment hosts (who, coincidentally, had been on a teacher exchange to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan) because of the personal attention and smaller boat size. It turned out to be the best decision.
We booked just the snorkeling tour, which includes the one hour high speed cat ride out to the Reef, a marine biologist talk about reef ecosystems, morning and afternoon tea, as well as a full buffet lunch.
We had not considered the option of an introductory scuba dive, but the welcoming atmosphere of the crew, and the open invitation to attend the dive briefing, where we could listen and consider the opportunity was very intriguing. The boys were pumped, and the more we thought about it, the more we realised that this once in lifetime opportunity would probably not come again and we should go for it.
Harold, the Dutch born marine biologist who gave the briefing was particularly clear and straightforward with his instructions and we were hooked. We arrived at the reef and were immediately called to the stern dive platform, where we receieved our scuba gear, jumped into wetsuits, and queued up for the dive. Christian, our dive master, went through the procedures and signals with us again, and Mat was first in the water, followed by Kevin, myself, and then Colleen. For the boys, it was a first time under, and once I was in, I had a flashback to the time I went into Lake Clearwater, at Pioneer Camp with scuba gear back in the 1970’s. There is an overwhelming feeling of anxiety as you go under and begin to breathe in the most unnatural of ways, in the most unnatural of places. Christian ran us through the basic procedures of clearing our regulators and evacuating water filled masks under the water. We also practised the simple communications signals of “I’m OK, go up, go down, ear pressure problem, mask problem, etc.” Holding on to the boat’s mooring line, I slowly began a relaxed breathing rhythm, which allowed me to be more calm, and begin concentrating on the overwhelming visual stimuli that the Reef presents to you. We slowly descended, a few centimeters at a time, each time balancing our ear pressure by holding our noses and lightly blowing. I did not know it, but Mat had difficulty balancing the air pressure in one ear and had to ascend once or twice while Kevin and I waited on the line. Christian finally signalled that we were set to go, and we followed him off the descent line toward the Agincourt reef.
The Reef is teeming with life and we did not realise that we were now 10 metres down, winding our way through channels and coral and azure blue colour, surrounded by a rich variety of fish and coral.
We drifted together, up and down, in a huge counter clockwise circle. We looked up and saw that Colleen was floating above us on the water’s surface, and that the photographer was now in front of us. Our “photo shoot” was as new an experience as everything else. Consider that you must follow the photographer’s instructions, given only in hand signals, and once ready for the shot, you must not smile, or risk losing your regulator.
This different world is so foreign to non-divers. You are constantly trying to keep breathing and at the same time soak in the visual sights around you. It seemed like hours, but was really only minutes.
Finally, we arrived back at the mooring line and began our slow ascent, but not before a giant sea cod, almost as big as Kevin, circled us within just centimetres, sometimes touching us as it passed. Thinking that Christian had food, it charged towards us each time, allowing us to pat it as passed.
Once on board, we sat on the dive platform, the adrenaline still rushing through our veins, as we began to talk for the first time in a half hour, the conversation of course, focused on our new experiences. What a rush!
We quickly jettisoned our scuba gear, after shaking hands with Christian in congratulations, and hopped back in the water to snorkel over the same areas where we had just been. The Reef is quite different from above than from below, each point of view having advantages over the other, and providing varied perspectives on the biodiversity.
The day was not over, as we had only reached midday. After toweling off, a full buffet lunch was served on board in the galley, and Tonya, another marine biologist on board (and with an equally humourous style of presentation) gave us a great talk on Reef life, accompanied with photos. Meanwhile, Christian II, the photographer, began posting his photo proofs on the rear deck, and we could see that we would have to splurge for his CD of the photos he took. They were awesome!
Meanwhile, back inside, Christian (the Dive Master), was gathering recruits for a second intro dive, and Kevin eagerly joined the group as we motored south at 25 knots towards Opal Reef. This was an even better site, and Kevin was quickly back in the water and descending the mooring as we donned our snorkel gear and followed above. We missed the White Tipped Reef Shark that cruised by the stern just moments before we entered the water.
We spent the next hour or so with Harold and Tonya, as each provided in-depth information about the various fish and corals that inhabited this particular reef.
We tired quickly and soon, we were back on board, having warm tea (despite the sunshine, and temperatures of the sea and air in the mid twenties C ˚. Keeping our eyes open for Minke whales on our return to Port, most passengers, especially Mat and Kevin, napped while we motored. Others ordered their photo CD’s.
We reflected on our day as we drove towards Palm Cove, realizing that this was one of those days that you never forget for your whole life, and that rich experiences of the living world’s treasures have a long shelf life and change the way you think.
The day was still not over, and we jumped back in the car and drove across town to the condo where fellow exchange teacher Marlene Norsworthy and husband Kim from Edmonton (and brother-in-law Ken and wife Del) were staying. Not wanting the day to end, we stayed late into the evening and enjoyed a fine meal and a lot of laughs.
What a day!!!
Day 192- Thursday, July 5th- North along the Cook Highway towards the Daintree National Park and World Heritage Rainforest
We passed numerous sugar cane operations on our way north towards the Daintree, and, after our last two days, the notion that we really were in a different part of the world, on the Coral Sea, in the rainforest, near the Great Barrier Reef, really settled into our psyche.
Arriving at the Daintree River cable ferry crossing, where crocodile warning signs were posted everywhere, we quickly entered into the depths of the Daintree rainforest heading towards Cape Tribulation. Captain Cook ran aground here in 1770 and named the place, along with other local landmarks, Mount Sorrow and Misery Point. Apparently he was not happy that HMS Endeavour ran aground. The Bloomfield Track, now paved as far as Cape Tribulation, was a controversial project built against the protests of conservationists who felt that this unique area should be left untouched. The environmentalists lost and the road was pushed through, although, in the end, the area did receive its World heritage status a few years later. And it is clear why. The towering trees, beaches and fringing coral along the coast (the only place on earth where coral lines the shore) are impressive.
After 40 kilomteres or so, the pavement ended and we drove past creek crossings and Cassowary crossing signs (a large rare flightless bird that can kill humans with their horned head protection). The entrance to the Cape Tribulation Beach House appeared and we drove down the driveway, checked in, rolled our gear down the walkway, past a cassowary, which was casually foraging beside the first building. Our cottage was a small duplex surrounded by rainforest, with a double and 2 single beds, halfway down the path to the beach, pool and bistro. What an idyllic place!
The camp kitchen, however, was a little unkempt and very busy with lots of young European backpackers. We poached our fish and boiled our rice in 2 small pots, and ate outside, despite the fact that the temperature had fallen below 20 ˚C. After cleaning up, we walked to the seaside Bistro and had tea and desserts, and then savored the southern sky that was so transparent, the Milky Way seemed so close it could be touched. With dreams of stars, and oceans, and diving and coral, we drifted off to sleep.
Day 193- Friday, July 6th - Djubi Rainforest Walk
We awoke to the sounds of the rainforest. Colleen and I took a walk along the beach and watched the sunrise over the Coral Sea, and then did lattés at the bistro. Eventually, we had our breakfast with the boys.
Our goal today was to head to the Djubi Rainforest Walk, where we experienced the rainforest/mangrove/beach environments, and then picnicked. While stopping by the reception office, we decided to book ourselves into a series of tours, so that we would see beyond the immediate area. Saturday’s activities would include a rainforest canopy walk and sunset paddle at Cape Tribulation. Sunday, we will take a 4WD tour up the Cape Tribulation Road and on our return to Cairns, stop at Cooper’s Creek (this side of the Daintree River) to experience the estuary, and perhaps a crocodile or two.
We returned to the beach for a walk, coconut gathering and a swimming race at the pool. Gathering our evening meal, we drove back to Djubi where outdoor BBQ’s are located. Cooking and eating dinner was a race, as the tropical night comes early, and twilight lasts only a few minutes at these latitudes.
The boys played pool under the Bistro’s canopy while I sipped a latté and Colleen enjoyed Cointreau while editing photos. Again, the tropical night was “stellar” and the Milky Way so rich and bright, it is almost unbelievable. We keep reminding ourselves to imprint every moment of this trip into our collective memory, so that even the minutest details are never lost.
posted by Rod Murray | 5:25 p.m.
1 Comments:
Hi Rod!
Your old teaching partner, Monica, siging in. I can't believe what an amazing adventure you and your family have experienced. Do you still pinch yourself? I would have loved to watch the penguins crossing, I could also do with some surfing! I just got back from my honeymoon in St. Lucia, experienced very minor effects of Hurricane Dean, and had a great time. I'll be out in your neck of the woods next year teaching at the new Erin Centre Middle School. Can't Wait! I am sure we will run into eachother soon.
Take Care,
Monica
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