So this Lieutenant Cook guy mapped a whole lot of Australia and New Zealand, but when he got up to Queensland, his boat ran over some coral, and punched a huge hole in it. So big, he needed to use a sail wrapped around the hull to keep the water out...
"Here my troubles began, at Cape Tribulation..."
It's in the north part of Queensland, along the coast (almost at the top!), and it's where the rainforest meets the ocean. I took a tour to get up there for 3 days and 2 nights, staying at "Cape Tribulation Beach House," a glorified hostel kinda removed from the tiny village on the Cape.
Wow. Wow. This country keeps getting more and more beautiful.
The weather started out rainy, but got progressively sunnier and warmer (which meant, really freaking hot and humid, as it is rainforest). There was a big push to get on tours and activities up there, but I just kinda walked along the beach (which you couldn't get into, because it was jellyfish season), hung out by the pool, and just reveled in the vast natural beauty of the place. It's like when they take the helicopter to Jurassic Park, with the way the island looks. Lame comparison, I know, but I'm not sure how else to describe it.
The ride up was awesome, it was a psuedo-tour, with a crazy driver who talked to herself and made terrible jokes, but the scenery was amazing. A drive just like the great ocean road, a stop for a swim in a natural-mountain fed gorge, and a fun group of people. There was a guy who spent 3 months in the jungle learning survival skills, two british girls on a long journey around the world, and two german au-pairs that were traveling because they're work was done.
The german girls were staying at the beach house with me, so we just kinda hung out for three days, going on walks, finding swimming holes at freshwater streams, and just generally relaxing. It was a great time, and my batteries were recharged.
Now, in Hobart, Tasmania. Renting a car tommorrow, and seeing what I can see in this National Park filled island...
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, December 06, 2009
This screen is wobbling...
because I just got back from a 3 day/2 night cruise on the Great Barrier Reef!
(Pause for cheers and applause)
When it comes down to it, though, I think that I had a better time in Belize during school. Not to say that it wasn't a great trip, but I'll explain.
First of all, let's talk about the boat. The "Santa Maria" (the captain/crew didn't know why it was named that...We're really far from America/Columbus) is a two masted 80 foot sailboat that was our home for the weekend.
Crew:
The captain's name was Sean (ironic!), and he was one of those embittered sailors, from New Zealand originally, but has done more dives than anyone I've ever met combined, and has been all over the world before settling on a boat in Cairns, living the dream). He had great stories, and smoked like a chimney.
Johnny was the first mate/divemaster, a young guy from Scotland, was taking classes to become a skipper and helm the Santa Maria as well. He spent most of his time talking with Captain Sean, but was friendly enough.
Jill was a young woman from Ireland (a completely non-Australian cruise!), the ship's cook (but she didn't really cook. The company had a set menu, and she just executed it. Kind of a random hand to have on board, helping with whatever needed help. Very much hungover the first day, didn't talk much until that night...
Passengers (besides me. You know me.):
A couple from New Zealand, here for a wedding, and decided to go on a cruise beforehand so that the stress of the wedding wasn't the only thing for their vacation. Very nice couple, and I used the underwater camera that they rented to take pictures (otherwise, you would have gotten nothing from the reef. You should go yourself anyways, before it's all gone...).
A couple from Norway, world travelers the both. Very well off, and but an odd combo. The wife was very very quiet, didn't even like swimming anywhere where she couldn't touch the bottom with her feet. The husband was very friendly, and super talkative. He was an electrician that managed a group with Caterpillar involving marine engines, and he talked so much. You know those people that have to always one up others, tell a story involving something awesome that they did, or generally be the focus of converstaion? Yup. I started tuning him out by the end of the trip, but he was very nice, and shared his beer with me.
Now, according to the crew, there are only 3 tour groups that operate sailboats out of Cairns, instead of the speedboat/dive boat thing for day trips. The reason is because it takes 3.5 hours to get to the reef from Cairns in a sailboat, so it doesn't really work for day trips, or even 2 day-ers. I specifically chose a sailboat so that I could sail (well, not me personally) for 3 days, and that it was more eco-friendly (especially for the reef).
The seas were rough. 20-25 knot winds pretty much the whole time, and I've never been on such a choppy ride. I was mostly fine, but the guy from New Zealand didn't make it the whole way. The boat was using a combination of sails and motors to expedite the trip, but we were definitely sailing.
Basically, the whole trip consisted of cruising to different spots, and snorkeling/diving at each one, with breaks for food and sleep in between. No organized touristy things, just a whole lot of reefing. The Norwegian guy was the only one who was diving, and aside from him, I was the strongest swimmer, so basically they gave me gear and sent me off, which was fine. I knew what I was looking at, and I didn't have anything specific to look for aside from the general condition of the reef/fauna on it.
The thing that blew my mind the most was the striking similarities between the fish/inverts in Australia and the ones I saw in Belize. The fact that everything was so similar was a huge point for Evolution, and made it very easy for me to identify things.
I saw all sorts of fun stuff. The usual fishes (Parrotfish/Surgeonfish/Damselfish/Butterflyfish/Wrasse/etc..) were all over the place. Some of them were huge! There was a bumphead wrasse which was easily 3 feet long, and the parrotfish were huge! The second day I saw a green sea turtle every time I went into the water. On the last day I spotted a blue-spotted ray and chased him around a bit, which was fun.
The reef itself had much lower visibility than I remember in Belize (probably because of the wind, and the fact that it's way more open than the one in Belize), and the condition of the coral was good, but not great. I saw a fair amount of bleaching, and places near beaches where it was obvious it had been stepped on/messed with. It's really sad how something so beautiful is dying so fast. That being said, however, you forget how beautiful it is when you haven't seen it in a while...
I don't regret it for a second (even though it was the biggest splurge of the trip), and I recommend it to anyone.. It was so nice being on a boat for three days, without any worries at all. That may be the next random job I do... cook on a boat. How hard could it be, yeah?
(they're kicking me out.. I'm a bit too sunbaked to remember any exciting stories that happened, and I'm right off for another 3 day trip to Cape Tribulation tomorrow... where the sea meets the rainforest... 2 nights in a beach bungalow....)
(Pause for cheers and applause)
When it comes down to it, though, I think that I had a better time in Belize during school. Not to say that it wasn't a great trip, but I'll explain.
First of all, let's talk about the boat. The "Santa Maria" (the captain/crew didn't know why it was named that...We're really far from America/Columbus) is a two masted 80 foot sailboat that was our home for the weekend.
Crew:
The captain's name was Sean (ironic!), and he was one of those embittered sailors, from New Zealand originally, but has done more dives than anyone I've ever met combined, and has been all over the world before settling on a boat in Cairns, living the dream). He had great stories, and smoked like a chimney.
Johnny was the first mate/divemaster, a young guy from Scotland, was taking classes to become a skipper and helm the Santa Maria as well. He spent most of his time talking with Captain Sean, but was friendly enough.
Jill was a young woman from Ireland (a completely non-Australian cruise!), the ship's cook (but she didn't really cook. The company had a set menu, and she just executed it. Kind of a random hand to have on board, helping with whatever needed help. Very much hungover the first day, didn't talk much until that night...
Passengers (besides me. You know me.):
A couple from New Zealand, here for a wedding, and decided to go on a cruise beforehand so that the stress of the wedding wasn't the only thing for their vacation. Very nice couple, and I used the underwater camera that they rented to take pictures (otherwise, you would have gotten nothing from the reef. You should go yourself anyways, before it's all gone...).
A couple from Norway, world travelers the both. Very well off, and but an odd combo. The wife was very very quiet, didn't even like swimming anywhere where she couldn't touch the bottom with her feet. The husband was very friendly, and super talkative. He was an electrician that managed a group with Caterpillar involving marine engines, and he talked so much. You know those people that have to always one up others, tell a story involving something awesome that they did, or generally be the focus of converstaion? Yup. I started tuning him out by the end of the trip, but he was very nice, and shared his beer with me.
Now, according to the crew, there are only 3 tour groups that operate sailboats out of Cairns, instead of the speedboat/dive boat thing for day trips. The reason is because it takes 3.5 hours to get to the reef from Cairns in a sailboat, so it doesn't really work for day trips, or even 2 day-ers. I specifically chose a sailboat so that I could sail (well, not me personally) for 3 days, and that it was more eco-friendly (especially for the reef).
The seas were rough. 20-25 knot winds pretty much the whole time, and I've never been on such a choppy ride. I was mostly fine, but the guy from New Zealand didn't make it the whole way. The boat was using a combination of sails and motors to expedite the trip, but we were definitely sailing.
Basically, the whole trip consisted of cruising to different spots, and snorkeling/diving at each one, with breaks for food and sleep in between. No organized touristy things, just a whole lot of reefing. The Norwegian guy was the only one who was diving, and aside from him, I was the strongest swimmer, so basically they gave me gear and sent me off, which was fine. I knew what I was looking at, and I didn't have anything specific to look for aside from the general condition of the reef/fauna on it.
The thing that blew my mind the most was the striking similarities between the fish/inverts in Australia and the ones I saw in Belize. The fact that everything was so similar was a huge point for Evolution, and made it very easy for me to identify things.
I saw all sorts of fun stuff. The usual fishes (Parrotfish/Surgeonfish/Damselfish/Butterflyfish/Wrasse/etc..) were all over the place. Some of them were huge! There was a bumphead wrasse which was easily 3 feet long, and the parrotfish were huge! The second day I saw a green sea turtle every time I went into the water. On the last day I spotted a blue-spotted ray and chased him around a bit, which was fun.
The reef itself had much lower visibility than I remember in Belize (probably because of the wind, and the fact that it's way more open than the one in Belize), and the condition of the coral was good, but not great. I saw a fair amount of bleaching, and places near beaches where it was obvious it had been stepped on/messed with. It's really sad how something so beautiful is dying so fast. That being said, however, you forget how beautiful it is when you haven't seen it in a while...
I don't regret it for a second (even though it was the biggest splurge of the trip), and I recommend it to anyone.. It was so nice being on a boat for three days, without any worries at all. That may be the next random job I do... cook on a boat. How hard could it be, yeah?
(they're kicking me out.. I'm a bit too sunbaked to remember any exciting stories that happened, and I'm right off for another 3 day trip to Cape Tribulation tomorrow... where the sea meets the rainforest... 2 nights in a beach bungalow....)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
