white knuckle reef

I couldn't write up the blog last night - I was just thankful to be back on land. Yesterday we were up at 6:00 a.m. to get ready for our day at The Reef. After being dropped off at the marina by shuttle bus, we waited with a lot of other excited people. The forecast was for fresh, windy conditions but this was the only day we could do this cruise.

The vessel, a 37 metre catamaran named Sea Flight, looked ship-shape. The very friendly crew greeted everyone as we boarded the boat. Settling in to "our spot" next to a large window, the crew suggested to all passengers to take sea-sickness medication (they had this on board for sale) as the crossing was going to be rough. We both looked at each other - neither of us are good sailors and because of the medication we both take, strong medication is not OK for us. We had to settle for ginger.

Cruising through the islands and stopping at Daydream and Hayman to collect more passengers was fine. The sea was that picture postcard aquamarine turquoise colour. Neither of us did enough research into how far out we would have to travel to Knuckle Reef but it was a 3 hour trip (50 MILES into the open sea). As we travelled further out to sea, the captain told everyone that we would be crossing shipping lanes for about 45 minutes. It was rough but not too bad - Robert didn't look flash but he was OK. I'm a tad better sailor than he is.

Knuckle Reef surrounds a lagoon and one of the reasons we chose this cruise was because of the pontoon that had been erected out there. The pontoon allowed for dry activities e.g. glass-bottomed boat trips, submersible boat explorations and just sitting around on the sun deck. For those wanting to get wet, there was snorkelling and diving as well as an enormous, winding slippery dip.

The water did look inviting but it was a little choppy and the wind was cool so we both decided to stick with staying dry. I'm getting really good at going backwards down stairs so descending into the submersible wasn't too difficult and most people are very patient.

We were lucky that it was such a fine day because the visibility was good (photos don't show it well). Shuffling along and looking out of the side windows, the marine biologist kept us informed about the different coral formations and any fish we saw (not many but enough for us to OOH and AH over).

The size of some of the coral is mind-boggling and so is its age. The protection of this reef is even more important to me after seeing it. Tony Abbott and other non-believers about climate change need to consider the consequences of inaction and not just to the reef but the global environment!!!!

I remarked about the lack of brilliant colours and the marine biologist explained that the photographers use a bright light and are quite close when photos are taken. The depth of the water also has an effect as does the amount of sun.

We both enjoyed this experience but I don't think I'd manage a submarine trip. In the back of my mind, I thought how I'd get up the steps quickly if I had to.

The cat moored next to the pontoon (on the left) with the blue-green slide on the left as well. The clear shaded area next to the slide is where the masseuse gives paying customers a massage. Don't think she had many customers yesterday.

The glass-bottomed boat was my next ride - Robert decided it would be too bumpy for him so he stayed on the pontoon.
I loved this mystery tour! We listened to another marine biologist explain different things about the reef, the coral and the creatures that lived there. The boat was skillfully manouvoured sideways, backwards and forwards over different sections of coral within the lagoon. Once again, the photos don't do it justice. Great experience!

Branch coral

On board the glass-bottomed boat

A delish lunch was served and after almost 4 hours at the reef, we left for home. The wind had picked up while we were at the lagoon so we knew we'd be in for a rocky ride back. Once we began to cross the shipping lanes, the sick bags came out, ice was distributed and everyone was asked to stay seated (or hold onto something if moving about).

An optional extra was a ride in a helicopter that has its own landing pad in the lagoon. A few people took up the option to fly back to the mainland.

The crew were marvellous - so caring and thoughtful. Robert had to get outside for some fresh air but I stayed inside but not for much longer. Using the walking stick gave me another support so that was good! I wedged myself into a corner outside and not long after a very lovely young member of the crew joined me to talk about anything to take my mind off of the size of the waves and how I was feeling. Sadly, he's a Crows supporter and  even worse, he barracks for Norwood. Dave grew up in Rose Park. Dave stayed with me for almost 10 minutes - reassuring me and saying we were almost out of it.

The total crossing in the rough part was almost one hour. I've never felt as seasick or scared in a boat like that. The waves were between 5 and 6 metres and they were coming from the side. The captain did an excellent job too. All of the crew were great and they paid special attention to little kids (one little Japanese boy looked dreadful and his mum sat on the deck holding a baby who was suffering as well; all of them looked fine when we disembarked). I'm more in awe of those mad men and women who sail in high seas - must have strong stomachs!

Once we returned the protected waters of the islands, it didn't take long for people to recover - Robert lined up for afternoon tea but I really didn't feel like eating (that's got to be a rare occasion). The sunset was special over The Whitsundays and it wasn't long before we docked (and almost kissed the ground).

Many memorable experiences on that trip!