Australian Odyssey (Part III)- Great Barrier Reef

This is a photo blog on trip to Great Barrier Reef in Australia in June 2014.   Flew Jetstar Airlines from Melbourne to Cairns (3116 km flight distance) and stayed for three nights.  Cairns is the most popular gateway to the Reef- others being Port Douglas, Townsville, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mission Beach and Airlie Beach.  According to Lonely Planet, the best time to visit the Great Barrier Reef is from June to November, when the weather is mild and visibility is generally good.  We spent one full day dedicated to a package tour to Great Barrier Reef.  I had a hard time selecting a suitable tour operator.  A lot depends on this.  I am glad we chose Passions of Paradise (www.passions.com.au) which offers Michaelmas Cay & Paradise Reef tours from Cairns.  The tour starts at 8 am from the Reef Fleet Terminal (caution: plan to reach AT 7:30 AM; check-in at counter required even if you have confirmed booking; we almost missed the boat because we went straight to the jetty which is at the fag end and had to run back for check-in).  Prices were reasonable; equipment and boats were excellent; the staff was experienced, helpful and smiling.  Two other operators which have permit to go to the same reef location are Ocean Spirit and Seastar cruises.  There are cheaper Green Islands tours, but online review seemed to suggest that those are avoidable as the reef is degraded.  I had also evaluated Reef Magic Cruises and liked their offering.  However, our trip with Passions of Paradise was more than memorable.  It was a lifetime experience.  Trying to capture a flavor of it here.

 

 



After a bit of a rush in locating the reef terminal and rush back to check-in counter to complete formalities, finally on board the stylish and well-equipped Catamaran on way to the Great Barrier Reef 



Over half of the 50-odd passengers started feeling sea-sick within 15 minutes of the journey.  Best is to take medicine before getting on board- it doesn't work after the effect set in.  Came out of the AC cabin for some fresh air and good view :-!

View of the cabin, with scuba diving instruction by Simon- the senior scuba diving instructor. 

After a roller-coaster journey of 90 minutes, first view of the Michaelmas Cay (Island) shore.  The sea-sick people magically started feeling better from this point

The scuba diving enthusiasts getting ready as the Catamaran anchors a few hundred meters away from the shore

 

A flyer on the types of fishes the scuba divers and/or snorkelers are expected to encounter

This member of the staff kept a vigilant watch on the tourists from his speedboat 

Take that first step- under patient guidance from the instructor

Scuba training- before taking the deep dive

For more sedate tourists, the glass-bottomed boat to see corals- driven and narrated by a marine naturalist 

This charming staff member was a pillar of patience and reassurance to the first-time snorkelers.  She pulled three girls using a tube far in to the ocean to see the Paradise Reef, as we watched with admiration from the anchored boat 



Only three tour boats travel here daily, run by tour operators that are permitted the right to use the Michaelmas Cay on their trips, because of the eco-sensitive nature of the place.  Apart from our Passions of Paradise, the two other operators allowed are Seastar Cruises and Ocean Spirit.



Located 40 km from Cairns and part of the outer reef system, the Michaelmas Cay is the largest of the uninhabited coral cays in the region. Over 30 sea bird species stay on the island, a large part of which is cordoned off to keep the tourists away from the bird habitat.  The birds and the fish treat the daily flow of human tourists as harmless creatures and don't get disturbed.

This island was heavenly.  The gentle slope of the shore made it ideal for first time snorkelers.

The tourists get back in the boat after an hour of scuba/snorkeling and are invited to hot buffet lunch including fresh prawns and fruit.  Scene on the outer deck of the boat after lunch, as the boat sets off for its next stop.

As our boat stopped at the Paradise Reef (which looked like an open sea location from the surface), this fish kept swimming up to our boat and was fed with ample quantity of fish by one of the crew members. 

After the introductory scuba diving course in the first stop, time for certified scuba diving session at the Paradise Reef location. 

Snorkelers off to open-sea adventure at Paradise Reef, while scuba divers get ready for the dive

Back at Reef Fleet Terminal, Marlin Marina at 5:30 pm, after an overwhelming experience at the Great Barrier Reef

 

Timorous Traveler



WHOO, whatta trip!!!
(Photo Courtesy: Melbourne ACMI- Federation Square- DreamWorks Animation Exhibition; 10th April - 26th October, 2014).  http://www.acmi.net.au/exhibitions/current/dreamworks-animation/
Coincidentally, this blog is also being posted on October 26th!