So today I went snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef. It wasn’t my first time but it was my first time at Hardy Reef. It’s about a two-hour cruise with Cruise Whitsundays from Hamilton Island to the Reefworld pontoon. Plenty of time for them to try to tempt me with introductory scuba courses or helicopter flights (I was tempted by the helicopter but maybe next time).
We arrived at the Reef just after 11am and I headed straight for the semi-submersible – a half-hour trip along the reef to see what there is to see. After that it was back on the boat for a quick lunch before snorkelling.
Now I know we were always told as kids that we should not go swimming straight after eating but I’m pretty sure that I burnt off lunch getting myself into a stinger suit and, once I’ll got my my life jacket and pool noodle, it was much more floating than swimming.
Last time I was in Australia, I went out to two different spots on the Great Barrier Reef – Agincourt Reef from Port Douglas and the Outer Reef from Cairns. My main memory of those experiences was great coral at Agincourt Reef and fabulous fishes at the Outer Reef.
This time was different because, firstly, I didn’t have my snorkelling buddy and, secondly, it was low tide so we couldn’t snorkel over the reef, just along it. Not being able to snorkel over the reef was a bit disappointing but I don’t know whether it is peculiar to Hardy Reef or a general thing. Definitely something I will investigate before deciding the timing of my next Great Barrier Reef trip.
The hardest part for me about snorkelling off a pontoon is actually getting off the pontoon. I discovered the first time I went snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef that it is one of the rare occasions when I’m scared of heights. The bottom just seems so far away and, while rationally I know I can’t fall through water, it still seems daunting. However, this time, either because of the low tide or because I’ve done it a few times, I just got on my knees and launched myself forwards. And, once I’m in the water, it’s great.
As I didn’t have a snorkelling buddy, I was trying to be sensible. However, just by following the prettiest fishes, I kept taking myself to the edges of the allowed area anyway. The equipment was great – my mask didn’t fog up at all and the only time I got seawater in my snorkel was when a scuba diver surprised me.
There weren’t too many people in the water at first but it got a bit congested later. I think the snorkelling area was also smaller than I’m used to because of the reef restrictions. After about an hour or so, the currents started getting stronger. This had the benefit of bringing lots more interesting fish out and the disadvantage that if I floated to look at something, I kept drifting out to sea and had to keep swimming back towards the pontoon. Wearing the floatation aids meant that I didn’t burn much energy though and so I was snorkelling for almost a couple of hours before I decided to come in and get myself sorted so that I wasn’t rushing to get back on the boat. (Another advantage was that I got myself a great seat on deck for the journey back.)
I had a lot of fun snorkelling and no regrets about skipping the helicopter ride because I wouldn’t have had as much time in the water. Another option for next time is to go out by boat but back by helicopter (or vice versa) so maybe I should start saving up for that. Because clearly I’m coming back to Australia and next time I will stay for longer because the cost of the flight is a big part of the budget and so obviously I should maximise the value.
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