Around the World in 8000 days: snorkelling

Welcome to our travel blog. We are Tabitha and Nic. In 2011 we 'retired' in our early 40s and set off to travel the world. We spent our first year in South America and have been lucky enough to make two trips to Antarctica.

Our blog is a record of our travels, thoughts and experiences. It is not a guide book, but we do include some tips and information, so we hope that you may find it useful if you are planning to visit somewhere we have been. Or you may just find it interesting as a bit of armchair travel.

Showing posts with label snorkelling. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Airlie Beach and a trip to the Whitsundays

Airlie Beach

Our next stop was Airlie Beach, which is a small town that, from what we saw of it, is really all about the tourists coming to see the Great Barrier Reef and the nearby Whitsunday Islands.

The one main street is pleasant enough, with some nice places to eat and drink dotted around, but there is a distinct feel of it being backpacker central, with the bars, clubs and drinking games that go with it.

Airlie Beach

We were only here for a couple of days, to take a trip out to the islands. We didn't feel like doing one of the rather expensive yacht trips, partly due to the price, and partly because so much of the time was spent either sailing or on beach and swimming, which we don't really do.

On the Big Fury, Airlie Beach

Instead, we picked the Big Fury, a speedboat that takes about forty people, which gets to where it is going quickly. Nic is prone to seasickness, so he took tablets, which is probably sensible as it does get a bit bouncy.

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

When we arrived at the boat, we soon realised that, other than the crew, we were the only people over the age of about 22, making us old enough to be the parents of any of the other travellers. It felt a bit awkward initially, with people not really seeming to want to chat with us oldies (we're only mid forties!).

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

Our first stop was the famous Whitehaven Beach, with its much admired white silica sand, that squeaks underfoot as you walk. The ride out was good, with friendly and amusing commentary from the guy, whose name I have sadly forgotten.

On arrival, first on the agenda was lunch. This was good, as it gave us a chance to meet some of our fellow passengers. Once we started talking to them about our travels, including to a number of their home countries like Japan and Argentina, they saw a connection with themselves and no longer worried about the age gap. That made the trip far more pleasant and sociable.

Lace Monitor Lizard, Whitsundays

During lunch, we did have to keep an eye out for the roaming lace monitor lizards that are wild in the area. They were on the lookout for food, and apparently aren't shy about having a little nibble on you too, so there was much picking up of feet.
After lunch, we had an hour or two to wander along the beach, and for those who wanted to, take a walk inland or have a swim. The boat guy was great with taking photos for people etc. Not being beach people, this was just about the right amount of time for us, before we started to get bored.

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

Back in the boat, we set of around the islands with more commentary, and headed for a nice secluded bay where we could do some snorkelling. the company hired out stinger suits, which we had got in case we decided to try, and we decided to be brave and give it a go.

Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays

With snorkels and life jackets on, it was time to jump off the side of the boat and into the water. With my fear of being underwater, this was a feat in itself, and it took a few attempts for me to launch myself into the water.

Once in, I gave it a go, and managed to get my face in a few times to see a bit, but in the end I just didn't feel safe and left Nic to float around with the others, while I went back to the boat. In hindsight, I think part of my problem is - in a slightly perverse way - the life jacket; I concluded that it makes me feel out of control, so figure that I would try again some time, without the jacket, as long as it is an area that I feel safe in.

Airlie Beach

The guy on the boat was great about all of this. He was really supportive about my attempt, but when it didn't work out, he gave me a short while to get changed, and then took me out on his little dinghy, with a glass ended cone that I could use to see down into the water. So I didn't miss out on seeing the corals and the giant clam.

Airlie Beach

Of course, both Nic and I forgot to take out the waterproof camera, so neither of us got any photos. Oops.

This was an enjoyable day out. I would recommend the Big Fury, wit the only caveat being that, if our trip was anything to go by, if you are over the age of about 22, you may feel a bit out of it, unless you can edge you way in like we did.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

Our next destination after Japan was Australia, first stop Cairns, North Queensland. We flew in early in the morning, and it was already getting hot, despite only being May.

Thankfully, at this time it was only hot, not humid, like it gets in the Australian summer. We hadn't really slept on the overnight plane, so we were pretty happy that our hostel already had a room ready for us, and we could get some rest.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

I had mixed feelings about arriving in Australia. It is one of those countries that is often high on most people's wish list to see, and it does have some places that interested us. We also have a number of friends here, and were looking forward to seeing them.

What I wasn't looking forward to, was the possibility of meeting the spiders here; I spent a considerable amount of time here checking toilets, seats and bedrooms, for those nasty eight legged creatures.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

The other issue about Australia, is most people come here for the sun, sea and sand. We don't much like the heat (hence our timing), have no interest in being on the beach, and I don't like being under water. That pretty much rules out most of the things that the East Coast has to offer.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

Cairns is the 14th city in Australia with a population of under 160,000. It was established in 1876 as a service town for the nearby goldmines in the Atherton Tablelands. Whilst the tablelands still provide some minerals and agricultural opportunities, these days, most people come here to see the Great Barrier Reef, which was helped by the creation of an international airport in 1984.

Reef Magic, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

With tourism such a major factor here, it isn't surprising that the city is full of hostels and hotels, restaurants, and tour companies. It doesn't feel like a place where normal Australians live, it feels like a tourist town. That said, as tourist towns go, it isn't a bad one. The accommodation and food options are OK, and you aren't being pestered by tour companies the whole time, as they know that we will go to them.

Reef Magic,Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

On the subject of food, this was where we had our first taste of wallaby. We'd eaten kangaroo before, and found that OK, but wallaby is definitely nicer.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

What I did find strange was that with all of these great beaches, people don't use them. Instead, they use the lagoon, a purpose built pool and 'beach' area. Of course we soon understood why; the beaches aren't safe, due to the seawater crocodiles, which would be quite happy to have you for dinner.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

But enough of the town, the main attraction here is the Great Barrier Reef. Despite my aversion to water, we did have to go and see it - the question was how? I knew that diving wasn't likely to work for me, and Nic can't dive for health reasons. We decided that our best option was to go out to one of the floating platforms, where they offer glass bottom boats and semi submersible trips, as well as diving and snorkelling for those who want to try.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

We chose Reef Magic as our tour operator. They were recommended by the owner's nan, who we met on the bus to the zoo in Singapore, but more importantly, they seemed to offer what we wanted, including the option of a helicopter trip out to the platform. And if you're wondering, yes, we would recommend them.

Turtle, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

The helicopter trip out was good, it saved the ninety minute catamaran trip out to the platform, and you did get a nice view of the reefs from the air, but I'm not entirely sure it was worth it. I would regard it as a nice to do if you can, but personally, I don't think I would advise splashing out on it if you're having to watch the budget.

The platform is a good one though. We enjoyed the glass bottomed boat and the semi submersible trip. They both give you a good way to see the coral reef and fish, without having to get your feet wet. They took us to see the resident giant clam, and we did find a turtle too.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

The one slight disappointment for me was that the boat didn't have any lights. We've all seen beautiful photos of coral, with its stunning colours, but of course that isn't how it looks normally.

To see those colours, the coral needs to be lit up. We knew that, so unlike some people on our boat, we weren't surprised at the muted look, but we had hoped they might just turn on some lights for a short while. But while we didn't have the colours, it was still fascinating to see the different types.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

The underwater viewing platform was OK, but didn't afford that much of a viewing opportunity. Sadly, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to try out the snorkelling, which was a shame, as it seemed quite a good location and the staff were helpful and supportive.