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River Of Data.com |
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Tuesday, 11 November, Port Douglas, QLD, AU This was a fantastic day, one that we, and Gail in particular, had been waiting for for a lifetime. We were picked up at the hotel by the Wavelength Charters bus, driven by Fluffy. No, he's not a cat, but a marine biologist who does a bit of everything with the group. He's named for his big "afro" of curly blond hair. We went to their office located on the harbor and after a bit of paperwork boarded the boat. We were reminded that the surf and wind were both high, and that seasickness pills were recommended. Gail took some, like always, but I chose not to, since I've never been motion sick in any situations. The ride out for 90 minutes was a bit rough, but didn't compare to several we've been on in Maui. Once we got out to the reef, things were much smoother, as we were anchored just inside the reef. We each put on a lycra body suit that covered every bit of our body except the parts covered by mask and flippers. The suits will keep one from being stung by the vast majority of jellyfish, as well some protection against accidentally brushing sharp coral. Of course we were reminded to never touch any coral, just to look, since touching it can kill it, and the coral is already endangered. Fluffy took time during lunch to teach us quite a bit about the reef, the coral, the fish, and so forth. Of course the food was good, muffins and fruit and coffee in the morning and great meat and shrimp at lunchtime. Most amazing of all was that I actually got in the water, got a snorkel on, and was able, with a great amount of help from a crew member named Caroline, to get to some of the coral and actually see it, as well as more of the fish. I never did get the hang of breathing correctly and kept getting a face and nose full of sea water. She assured me that if there weren't a three foot swell I would have been able to do it. Maybe so. And if the right situation comes up, I'll try it again. Besides many colors and varieties of coral, Gail saw a reef shark, a giant clam, and a very large turtle, plus the usual assortment of beautiful fish. The trip back from the three reef sites to Port Douglas was still a bit rough, but we made it fine. We got back to the room pretty tired, but had snacks for supper, since we'd eaten continually on the boat. Another wonderful day in paradise. |
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