rockin the reef!

last night i went to ReefTeach even thought the power was out on that block. luckily it came back on - and i got to attend the lecture. it was essentially like sitting in my own classroom and listening to me show a powerpoint and give information and anecdotal stories - man i am a fabulous teacher. i knew a lot of it, but still learned more, and took copious amounts of notes. did you know that coral bleach bc higher temperatures cause their zooxanthellae to poison them and at that point they aren't actually dead, they are still alive for 1-3 weeks and if in that time they get their zoox back they go on living? fascinating. i was well prepared for my next trip to the GBR.

today i took my second trip out to the great barrier reef. i booked it based on someone's advice and at first i was a little disappointed, but it got better. the winds were 25knots or higher so it was really windy and several people were seasick. not me! i took my drugs last night - but i hung out on the back of the boat anyway, fetching napkins and barf bags for the people who did get sick.

first we went to michealmas cay (key) which is a sand island created by bird poo (guano) and the seeds they disperse. it is home to several species of important birds that breed very few other places (so the sign said). they said noddies, terns - the ones with the eyebrows, and something else, but i am pretty sure i saw other birds - boobies i think. but i am no bird expert. the noddies i recognized from hot mel's laysan hawaii experiences. they ferried us to the island beach. there is a rope marking off part of the beach and that was the only place on the island we were allowed to go. stepping over the rope was a 7000 dollar fine (as was taking any sand, shells, etc). again it was really windy and wavy so visibility was not ideal, but the reef was 5 feet from the beach and pretty shallow so there was still plenty to see. but snorkeling was like riding a roller coaster with the surf the way it was.

it took great great effort not to take a picture of every beautiful giant clam i saw. there were heaps of them and all of them were huge! i saw some pretty fish and some soft coral waving about, some feather stars, and that's it. mostly i was frustrated with the lowered visibility. i got shooed by the watchers twice for being too far from the island.

we got back on the boat, had lunch and then motored to paradise reef - the ride took less than 20 minutes. this area was much smaller, but i was assured (by listening in on someone else's conversation) that there was more hard coral, more color, and better visibility - even if the seas were a bit more wild here not being sheltered by an island. i was one of the first in the water. i got shooed three times by the watchers here, but i just followed the edge around and away from other folks and then i followed some divers - i was totally fine with the roller coaster waves though i noticed a lot of people didn't get in and the ones that did, did not stay in very long .

i had a ball. this place was much more pretty - deeper than where i snorkeled in mission beach... but still just as good. here i saw an epaulet shark, a titan triggerfish, some clownfish, a unicorn fish, a fish with an elephant snout, some yellowfish that looked like they had crazy eye makeup with fake eyelashes, trumpet fish, barracuda, bat fish, all kinds of fish, and two cuttlefish - both a foot long and constantly shifting colors. i dove down to get a picture of the cuttlefish and they still hung around so i dove again to get a close up. then i was signalled it was time to come in.

when i got on board the captain asked me how it was and i told him all the exciting things i had seen and he asked me whether i was the one wearing the white rashy that they had to keep shooing. i shrugged embarrassed and said yes. he said that when i shooed me the second time, he commented to the other watcher that the snorkeling was probably pretty good where i was even if i wasn't supposed to be there. he also told me that i looked totally at home and relaxed in the water and appreciated my efforts to stay in bounds.

pictures from this adventure are here! i am seriously proud of some of these shots (taken with a disposable camera - that i had developed as soon as i got back). they are backwards from the order they were taken - so if you notice deteriorating quality, it is bc the first place i was had poorer visibility.

cairns is a BORING place. there is nothing to do here except eat, drink, and shop. there is nothing to DO in town - only one piddly museum and as far as i can tell ReefTeach. however - is the mecca for day trips to everywhere around - which is considerable. i would love to be here a few days more to see some of the surrounding sights, but time is running short and i must move on.

and on that note i am flying to adelaide. going this evening to spend the night in the airport and flying in the morning - 6am. i met some folks from chino who said they would look for me at 4am and make sure i got up to check in for my flight. fabulous.