Today was a wonderful trip, worth every Australian dollar it cost. We had a bit of a scare since it was raining lightly when we woke up but the skies cleared by the time we showered and headed over for brekky.
A small comfortable Down Under Tours bus picked us up at 7:15 out front of the hotel, driving us down to the Cairns Wharf to board our boat. The Ocean Spirit is a 105′ catamaran with both sail and engine power, a large salon with bar, upper and lower stern decks and a large open bow deck, plus a full kitchen and row of bathroom stalls below decks; crew complement seemed to be about a dozen or so.
We pulled away about 8:30 for a two hour trip, about 40km, out to a seven mile long stretch of reef called Michaelmas Reef that ends in a tiny island called, not surprisingly, Michaelmas Cay. During the trip Dave, one of the two marine biologists on the crew, gave us a video presentation on the Great Barrier Reef, the coral and other fish in the region and Michaelmas specifically. Flippers, masks and bodysuits were distributed just before arrival.
TS1 and I signed up for the snorkel lesson since it’s been awhile since I’ve done it and she’s never really been in the ocean, much less snorkeled. Our instructor was Heather, the other marine biologist, and I provided the class’s comic relief. Honestly I wasn’t expecting the class to begin literally the moment we got off the beach shuttle and so was caught trying to get my gear stowed and the flippers on. Let’s say I flopped around a bit and leave it at that.
After the class the months of swim lessons I’ve been giving TS1 paid off, as she was able to get in the water a bit and paddle around with me. The salt water got the better of her, unfortunately, so she retreated to the beach while I had a bit of a swim. We bought a disposable waterproof camera and I took a lot of snaps of the coral and fish.
The Cay is a highly protected environment, most of it off limits to people and actually a home for thousands of quite a few different types of birds. I’d expected the included lunch grill to be served on the beach but that was completely wrong 😉 Instead the beach buggy, a simple 30 seater boat, shuttled us back to the Ocean Spirit to eat. Lunch was great, though considering the cost of the trip I was quite disappointed that even (bottled) water and soda were extra cost items.
The tour company keeps a semi-submersible boat out at the cay for 30 minute tours. A bit too claustrophobic for me but TS1 took the after lunch ride and got to see the coral and fish she missed from the snorkeling, plus several large sea turtles that didn’t come that close to the water’s edge.
A little after her tour ended everyone was back aboard from the beach or scuba diving and we made the 2.5 hour ride back to Cairns Wharf. Not long after weighing anchor the chef served fresh baked cake and coffee; we were pretty beat and spent most of the time nearly napping in one of the chairs along the port rail. A half hour before docking crew came around with a glass of sparkling wine for each of the guests, which went down well with the sun getting low on the horizon.
All too soon we were bundled off to the coaches and back to our respective hotels. TS1 made us a simple dinner en suite so we didn’t have to go out and I had a good soak. Tomorrow we fly to Sydney for the last leg of this awesome vacation–I’m writing this Tuesday night but probably won’t post it until Wednesday–four full days in Australia’s biggest city.
BillSaysThis 