A Great Day on the Great Barrier Reef
Day 49, Grand Asia 2017
Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017 – Cairns, Australia
Some places I wish we would stay overnight – one day simply is not enough. Cairns is one of those places.
It’s a beautiful small city sitting on the coast of Queensland, Australia. Restaurants and bars line the waterfront boardwalk, just a short walk from the cruise terminal. On the other side of the boardwalk is a marina, with boats of all sizes in slips along the piers. Further along the wide river inlet, sailboats stand in lines floating on moorings.
Our destination this morning was the Reef Daytripper, a 40-foot sailing catamaran.. Twenty of us had chartered the boat to take us to locations on the Upolu Reef, a two-hour sail from Cairns.
I have to be honest: I was somewhat disappointed in the section of the Great Barrier Reef we visited. The coral was mostly grey, the result of bleaching caused by two years of warmer-than-typical waters and recent cyclones. The reef isn’t dying; it’s just that the algae that usually color the coral are not there. A few years of cooler water and a dearth of cyclones could bring back much of the color. Some from the ship who had snorkeled the reef in the past agreed that the colors were lacking this year.
That being said, I saw beautiful fish. I wish I could name them or had pictures to share. There was a beautiful blue starfish sitting on a piece of coral. I swam over a small ray that almost disappeared into the light sand. All sorts of coral covered the reef.
We had a great lunch in between our two snorkeling locations, and a couple of our group dived in the afternoon. On our return trip we enjoyed wine, cheese and fruit. Some (OK, me) enjoyed a nap, too.
The Holland America excursions were at least twice as expensive as our charter. The larger boats resulted in large groups at the reef sites, but they also made the trip to the reef in less time and had extras such as glass-bottom boats for viewing without getting in the water. Some people went to Green Island, an island that offers other activities, including hiking and sunning on the beach. Everyone reported a fun time and a cherished opportunity to visit one of the Earth’s great natural sites.
Back on the ship, the crew put together Outback night in the Lido, with Aussie steaks, shrimp and beer. Our sailaway was late, so I went out with a friend to stroll along the boardwalk and stop for a drink while sitting at the water’s edge. We have left the heat of Darwin and are enjoying the slightly cooler and less humid weather.
The only theme I would wonder about on long voyages is the “bad weather”. I’m usually not prone to sea sickness but have experienced it from time to time on small (relative to a cruise ship) boats. It sounds like your captain had plenty of time to avoid the weather. I imagine it is much easier to avoid bad weather when you have 60 days remaining versus on a short cruise when you might be due in port to disembark.
Do you read more than travel guide type reading prior to your cruise? Do you delve into history and culture in advance? In addition to travel type reading. I often like reading historical fiction set in locations where I travel. Have you ever read the 1950 novel by Nevil Shute, A Town Like Alice? We read it in my book club last year and I was reminded of the book due to your port of call in Cairns and visit to Green Island. Both places were minor settings in the book, but Malaya (*in WWII setting it was Dutch East Indies) and Queensland were major settings. If you’d like to know more about the book ask me when you no longer pay 25 center per minute for slow internet!
As you cruise through the barrier reef heading to Brisbane, how scenic is the view from the ship’s deck? We’re not planning on snorkeling but would like to do the glass bottom boat.
I never saw the reef from the ship deck — just dark areas in the water. >