Day at the Great Barrier Reef - Nov. 19, 2013

TUESDAY – NOVEMBER 19, 2013

BOTTOM LINE:

Spent the day at Lady Musgrove Island, Great Barrier Reef

BACK STORY:

After a restless sleep worrying about whether or not our phone alarms would fail (I know that you know the feeling!), we got up at 5:15am to do last minute preparations and catch our transport bus at 6am.  The bus took us up to the towns of Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy Seven…yep, it’s the name of a town!  There were seven on the bus and at that hour of the morning, everyone pretty much kept to them selves. 

Boating to Lady Musgrave Island

We arrived to the dock a bit late and were immediately ushered into the captain salon to take a seat front and center!  It worked out perfect for me because I was near a window that would give me lots of fresh air should the boat start rocking.  As we sat waiting to leave the marina, I read twice the warning to take seasickness meds prior to boarding.  I had my pressure bands on my wrists and had put some homeopathic oil behind my ears, but somehow I knew I’d better go for the big guns of Dramamine.  Dang, I didn’t want to be drowsy and miss anything about our outing, but I also didn’t want to get sick.  I swallowed the pill…and was lucky that I did as the seas outside the marina had white caps and were very, very rough!!! 

Up with the Captain

 It took us nearly two hours to get out to Lady Musgrave Island, which is the southern most Island that makes up the Great Barrier Reef. Once inside the reef, the waters calmed.  We docked at a platform that became the hub of activities for the 108 guests.  Masks and snorkels were issued to those wishing to hit the reef.  Tanks were available for those wanting to dive.  A glass bottom boat was available for those that didn’t want to get into the water.  Shuttles were set up to take the curious over the do a nature walk on Lady Musgrave Island.  The last activity offered was to do some reef fishing.  Guess where Bruce headed after lunch!??

Boat at platform for water sport activities

 Bruce and I grabbed fins as we brought our own snorkel and masks and headed out into the wild blue yonder.  Although we each had on rash guards the water seemed cool as first, but once we got to swimming we easily warmed up and were able to stay out for over an hour. We were later told that the water was 82 degrees. 

Lady Musgrave Island

The reef had an abundance of fish of all sizes and colors.  There were starfish, giant clams that had beautiful colors lining their wavy openings, sea slugs, stingrays, turtles and the most wide variety and color of coral that I have seen. There was little bleaching or dead looking coral, which was encouraging. The reef has been protected!

I had a chance to speak with a little 80 year old man…kind of a crusty sailor looking guy.  It turned out that he was the owner of the reef touring company.  He said that it took 13 years to get the government to push mooring buoys of private boats back and away from the reef.  Prior to that the boats could anchor anywhere, which threatened the coral.

Glass bottom boat can only show coral texture, not the vibrant colors

A great buffet lunch with fresh prawns, salads, rice, chicken and fruit was offered.  Tea and cake were served in the morning and afternoon...British influence???  After our lunch Bruce was out to fish while I joined in on a glass bottom boat ride over to the Island for a nature walk.

Bruce caught the first two fish but the first was 1 centimeter short of being legal.  The second fish came up as a half fish.  On the way up to the surface a larger fish or shark got the best of it!

My nature walk was very interesting. The guide pointed out the migrating tern population that were sunning themselves in the warmth of the sand.  The heat stimulates oil production, which they then groom through their feathers for insulation and to help keep their feathers dry.

Black Terns warming in sun

Another bird variety sharing the island is the black Noddie.  This bird uses the Island as its reproduction site.  By the time the birds arrive on the Island, the dry season is ending.  Yellow leaves have fallen from the trees indicating that the salt water has crept into the water table.  Fresh rainwater is needed to sustain the trees along with fertilizer. 

The black Noddie birds come onto the Island and immediately begin building nests out of the fallen leaves.  One by one the leaves are taken from the ground and carefully placed on branches to form the nest.  Unfortunately there is a sticky plant on the ground called the Pisonias that the unsuspecting birds find stuck to some of the leaves.  If not careful, the birds will find themselves caught in the sticky mess, unable to fly and will die a slow death, ultimately fertilizing the tree!  The circle of life!

Black Noddie

Noddie Rookery

The boat ride back was extremely rocky in every direction!  Tides were changing, the current strong and the wind had kicked up making the seas very choppy. The higher you sit in a boat the rockier it is and since I was in with the captain, I was swaying quite a bit.  Bruce chose to ride it out down below.  I took another pill and leaned my head towards the open window to take a snooze in the fresh air.  I woke up to a little Chinese water torture half way through the trip.  Every time I closed my eyes to sleep I was slapped in the face with salt water through the open window!  I didn’t mind as it was refreshing, dried quickly and most importantly I wasn’t sick!

Great day of play, learning and meeting some wonderful people!