The Great Barrier Reef

To continue where we left off…. We have water again! No more filling the bucket with water from the pool to flush the toilet.  And we can take showers again.  Granted, the water pressure for the shower was a bit low, but it was clean water coming from the showerhead, which felt quite nice after a long, wonderful day of snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

 We chose a locally owned tour company, Wavelength Reef Tours, which was the perfect choice for our trip to the GBR.  With a maximum of 48 passengers, only snorkeling (no SCUBA diving), and three marine biologists on board, we were treated to one-hour swims at three different sites.  The water was calm, the temperature was delightful, and the skies were clear as we took the 90-minute boat ride out 39 miles NE to Opal Reef, where we snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef

Note: All photos on this day were taken by the crew and provided to everyone at no charge.

Mark’s biggest concern as we were headed to the reef was whether there would be Great White Sharks.  He did not want the headlines to be “75-year-old man eaten by a Great White shark while snorkeling the GBR.”  He was reassured that while we may see some sharks, they would be smaller and harmless to humans.  The Great Whites were far off the coast, where the water was much colder.

 Donning our tour-company-provided lycra full-body suits to protect us from the jellyfish, we entered the warm, clear water.  Margo, who isn’t the most confident in open water, was very pleased that pool noodles were provided for the snorkelers.  Her excitement quickly overtook her apprehension, and off we went. 

 And did we see coral!  We swam over the top of the reef and marveled at the size and number of corals there. Boulder coral is the slowest-growing coral, with a growth rate of 1 – 3 cm per year. Some large colonies – which look like large boulders – were up to hundreds of years old.  Table Coral looks like large, flat plates.  They reminded us of a big mushroom. The shape of table coral is ideal to expose as much of their surface as possible to sunlight. We were concerned when we saw that the table coral was all a dull brown or green, and we thought it was dead, but that is the usual color of table coral. Branching coral looks like sticks and is the fastest growing.  We saw several branching corals damaged and broken off from the recent cyclone.  The biologists told us while they are the most vulnerable to storms, they are also the fastest growing, so they will be back in no time.

Between the second and third dives, one of the marine biologists gave an informative talk about the coral and fish.  We were surprised to learn that coral is an animal and is clear, like jellyfish, in color.  The color comes from the fungi it eats.  The fungi generate about 80 percent of the coral\’s energy to survive.  She also explained that coral bleaching is caused by stress on the coral, and the greatest stressor now is water temperature.  Temperature increases of only 1.5 –2°C lasting for six to eight weeks are enough to trigger bleaching, which happens when the coral starts to expel the fungi it has accumulated.  If the warm temperature continues, it will expel all its fungi and eventually die because it can only generate 20 percent of its energy to survive.  The water temperature on the Great Barrier Reef is at the tipping point so any additional warming will start the bleaching process.  The coral will live or die depending on the length of the warm water cycle.

 Amidst all the coral were thousands of fish.  To us, the fish living on the reef were more interesting and fascinating than the coral.  Many of the fish (like Nemo in the movie Finding Nemo) are quite small, about the size of a goldfish.  Others, like the brightly colored blue Parrotfish, were one to four feet long.  They are harmless to humans, eating algae off the coral.  Margo’s favorite fish was a brightly colored purple fish, probably two feet long.  There were also large fish, perhaps five feet long, deeper in the water and under the boat. 

Margo wanted to see a shark and even swam to the area called Shark Ally, but she was unsuccessful.  Mark has seen sharks in the past while SCUBA diving and wasn’t the least bit interested in seeing another.  As Margo was being still in the water, hundreds of bright blue fish began swimming around her, with some smaller yellow fish joining in.  She describes the experience like swimming in a tropical aquarium!

If you want to learn more about the Great Barrier Reef, we encourage you to watch the kids’ TV show Aquanauts. When we were describing our adventures to our 5 and 7-year-old grandsons, the 7-year-old began asking very informed questions about the habitat of the reef, including whether we saw any crown-of-thorns starfish. The day before, the marine biologists had explained the dangers of the starfish to both humans and the reef.  Hats off to the TV show Aquanauts.

 Margo is still in awe at the magical, almost mystical, experience of snorkeling among the fish and the Great Barrier Reef.

Back to the town of Port Douglas with two “interesting” facts.  One, the mayor resigned suddenly when the landslide caused the closure of the water plant.  We presume there were issues before, perhaps from his response (or lack thereof?) to the cyclone, but we don’t have details.

 Another interesting fact about Port Douglas is that the people are very proud that you will not find a McDonald’s or KFC anywhere around here.  McDonald’s bought a large piece of corner property years ago, but the city of Port Douglas has repeatedly refused to give it permission to build.  McDonald’s keeps applying each year; Port Douglas keeps saying no.  We aren’t certain if it’s for environmental reasons or not to overtake the local market, but we find it quite welcoming.

What a way to round out 2023!  We leave Port Douglas tomorrow (January 1) and head back to Cairns, where we will spend the night to catch our flight to New Zealand.  Qantas changed the schedule, so we now have to fly three hours south to Melbourne to catch a connection to Auckland, which is another three-and-a-half-hour flight.  Once again, putting size into perspective.  Mark always thought New Zealand was a short hop from Australia, not 1,600 miles away.

 We will celebrate the New Year a day before you.  Happiest New Year, and all the best to everyone.