Tuesday 24th February 2015
Alarm was set for for 0715. We had a nice FaceTime chat with Christopher after his first day at work, which he seemed to have enjoyed, even though he was doing boring computer learning for a a fair bit of it. We had toast and coffee for breakfast, then set off to walk to the harbour.
We got to the Quicksilver offices for 9am, and Sue got our tickets for inner reef trip. At 9.30am she went back in, to find that there had been some cancellations on the other boat so we can go on the big trip to Agincourt Reef. After we swapped our tickets and paid the extra money, we went to Berth 4 to board the huge Quicksilver VIII catamaran. http://www.quicksilver-cruises.com There are lots of Chinese I would estimate that they make up about 75% of the passengers and there are lot of Chinese speaking crew. One of the girls told us there are 450 passengers on board, and about 50 crew. We managed to snag two window seats on the lower deck and we were set to go. They had comp coffee, tea and biscuits available when we were moored but hot drinks are only served in port. They offered comp iced water and cordial all day.
Departure was just a little late at 10.05am and we had a slow cruise out of the harbour to the open Coral Sea, which was as calm as a mill pond. There were several good briefings on the many TV sets around the cabin as we sailed out. One from a Marine Biologist,explaining about the history of the reef and what we may see out there – he particularly emphasised the fish that Disney’s Nemo is based on. There was also a good briefing about snorkelling for those who hadn’t done it before and we took the advice of the crew and paid $7 each for the hire of lycra stinger suits.
After an hour and a quarter we moored up and a huge 50 metre pontoon that is anchored above the reef. We got our masks, snorkels, flippers and stinger suits and got changed – it is very well organised given the numbers they bring out each day. They gave us a buffet lunch before we went into the water. There was a good choice of salad, cold meats, pasta and two hot dishes with steamed rice – hot honey glazed beef and vegetable korma curry.
Once we had eaten we got changed and hit the water – it is truly fantastic, absolutely crystal clear with loads of fish really close to the boat – the water entry was a bit chaotic but once we were in it was okay. Sue did brilliantly, as she doesn’t like putting her head under water, or breathing through her mouth – both of which are pretty much essential in snorkelling, she found it quite difficult. She wasn’t put off though, and overcame her discomfort. The coral reef and the fish were just stunning – it was very well set up – they have ropes attached to buoys to guide those less confident out to the reefs. There are also plenty of activities for others too – those who are Padi qualified can go scuba diving – those who don’t want to swim can put a full diving suit on and go down steps for the underwater experience without the swimming. They also had several submersibles that you can go out in an also an underwater viewing platform on the pontoon.
After being in the water for ages Sue got out and went for a trip in the submersible – I stayed in the water and swam further out and was rewarded with seeing some stingrays on the bottom of the sea. I had one dodgy moment when I swam into a small jellyfish, and it hit one of the very few areas of exposed skin – my lip just below my mask – it looked huge when it was close up and made me jump, but it was actually quite tiny and clearly didn’t sting me.
Sue enjoyed her trip in the submersible and all too soon it was time to get changed and return to the boat. I can’t believe how quickly the day went. On the way back we sat upstairs on the sundeck. It was very cloudy as we got close to land and also quite breezy, as Sue found to her cost when she went to the front of the boat to take a photo and her visor blew off! We had a few drops of rain as we neared the port, but not enough to make us shelter indoors.
When we docked I went into the gift shop and treated myself to a Quicksilver polo shirt. and then we walked back to the unit. When we got back I realised I had misplaced my reading glasses. We got showered and changed and then headed out to a restaurant near the dock called Hog’s Breath Cafe which is one in a chain of about 80 around Oz. It wasn’t very busy and we got a table straight away. To start we shared Sicilian loaded potato skins. For main I had – Serious Steak Burger, which is – Double steak, double cheese, lettuce, red onion rings, beetroot, tomato, grilled onions and our hot Byron Bay Chilli Sauce. Sue had Lemon Myrtle Salmon, which is Pan-fried salmon sprinkled with a lemon myrtle, coconut and chilli rub, served with mashed potato and crisp house salad in a balsamic dressing. To drink I had a Carlton Mid and Sue Somalian Sauvignon Blanc. It was another nice meal. The Byron Bay chilli had a real kick. We also saw several flashes of lightning while we were eating.
We walked back to unit – we saw lots big birds in road. We now know they are Bush Stone Curlews, they walk all over and only seem to fly when they have to. At the unit – internet, diary and bed!
Trip – car didn’t move.
nickharris87 
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