Eddy Reef, Mission Beach
We were dropping bread into the water to attract the fish. I caught, (no pun intended,) a couple of fish (Yellowback Fusilier) as they jumped out of the water for the morsel.
Richard, who picked me up at my campsite early in the morning for a day on the reef, said "The locals call this a "five-knot fever" day." That's when the wind is light and the sea so calm, that the locals take the day off and head to the reef.
[It's exactly like a "snow day" only completely different! :-)]
This day was a perfect 10. I spent more than three hours floating and snorkeling over the most awesome coral reef in the world. In some areas there was less than three feet of water between me and the coral and I had to be careful not to hit the coral with my fins. With full sun and excellent visibility, it was like swimming in an aquarium. There were hundreds of species of fish, most of which were swimming inches from my mask. I wish I had an under water camera to be able to share it with you... maybe next time.
The lighter areas of the image indicate a sandy bottom.
The darker areas are coral reefs.
2 comments:
JP, the tan looks fabulous on you. Hope you wore your sunscreen while snorkeling. I got second degree burns doing that in the Caribbean when I was 21. My whole back crusted over! Ew! I noticed you aren't making much progress in your reading. I guess that's the good news, huh? Means you have other more interesting things to do...Bo
Hey Lise, I just might pop in on you...can't beat the weather in SF. We had MORE snow this week. Ugh.
Hi Bo...
Actually, I have a chapter left on "dirt music". I listen about an hour a day; mostly in the evening or if I'm driving a long stretch. The story takes place in Perth, AU and the reader (Suzi Dougherty) has a very strong Aussie accent. It's well written with complex phrases building robust sentenses. And the vocab is rich. I only wish I could stop and look up some of the words he uses. I'm also jumping between this and an audio course called: Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft by Brooks Landon. The two books complement each other well.
(http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?pc=Professor&cid=2368)
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I spray on sunscreen every day... SPF 70+ I brought with me and SPF 60 I bought in AU. I am being careful.
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I leave at noon tomorrow for two days and two nights on the reef aboard the 75ft cruising yacht, Habibi. We'll sail in the Whitsunday's, snorkeling and exploring the reefs and beaches of three of the seventy-four National Park Islands. I should have a decent tan after that :-)
I do swim with a lycra 'stinger suit' to protect against jellies and sunburn.
I'm thinking of buying an inexpensive underwater camera so I can take photos... hopefully I will have some nice pics in a few days. :-)
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