I booked a one day scuba diving trip to the outer Islands, the usual short trip . The dive master was assessing the participants skills and reiterating dive rules and updating participants on the non verbal communication on the way out to the dive site; matching people to the dive gear and finding a sheltered calm spot for the most inexperienced novice .
We were dropped off in a small ancillary dive boat to drop down on a small reef. The visibility was 20 feet or so and the max depth was only 25 feet . Most coral grows in the upper layers . For those who have dived there was a mixture of soft corals waving in the surge along with a myriad of hard corals . I had a partner ( dive duddy ) who was struggling with her gear . Having trouble equalising the air pressure in her ears and seemed to have an ill fitting mask because the snot kept dribbling down her face . The dive leader took over her management which left me to swim alone without the hassle of watching out for her.
The dive lasts about 40 minutes to ensure the most energetic user of air still has enough to get them back to the surface . I surfaced with plenty of air left as the dive was shallow by my normal standards.
Novice divers were up-skilled on the boat while we were underwater . We ate lunch while they were taken into the shallows to begin their underwater adventure . They returned to the boat full of wonder and awe . I have seen much better coral and fish life on the outer reef and was kicking my self internally that I hadn't gone to the outer reef .
The second dive for the day was also very tame . We did get to dive through some underwater caverns . I went last and the silt had been well and truly disturbed when I went through . The visibility dropped down to a few feet in the cavern .
I thought we would get more bang for the buck if we hire a small boat and went out to the inner Island in the Whitsundays . The Boat hirer gave a quick lesson on how to fit a life jacket and showed me how to let off a flare, advising us to use the mobile phone for advice before doing so.
The four of us , Rachel , Scott, Bev and I set off to the Big Blue for a days picnic and snorkeling .
It is the stinger season> Jellyfish abound and are washed up against the shore at high tide. I was advised the safest time to snorkel was about 2 hrs after the tide had started going out . This would disperse them away from the coral reefs and from around the shore line.
Irikanji jellyfish are as small as a thumbnail but deadly. We purchased a Stinger suit .The Nylon oversuit comes with slippers ,a hood and gloves . It has been proven to protect from stings and tentacles .
It is a most effective sun screen too.
There are millions of fish visible through the clear water but they weren't hungry enough to nibble on our lines . We tried bread, bacon , chicken , and a small shell fish . They liked the shell fish and nibbled it away from around the hook. We all had turns at snorkeling with the suit on. Blue bottles were present and easily avoided so I hoped the reports were over exaggerated.
To see more of the reef I thought of a strategy of being towed thorough the water on a long rope behind our Hire boat .
I donned the black body cover of the stinger suit ensuring the hood covered my recently shaven head and directed Rachel where to tow me . It worked a treat. I covered about two kilometers in no time .
Stingrays , Snapper, Parrot fish all darted out of the way as I bulleted across the reef hydrodynamic like . Occasionally i spotted a Jelly fish drifting on the surface . I lead with my naked lips and chin and was able to swerve around the obstacle with a simple flick of my fins and roll of my body .
No wonder seals and dolphins can get up speed and a smile.
All of a sudden a heavy patch of the stingers . Jelly galore.
I felt a burning sensation under my nose as if I had been burnt by a red hot poker . The only part of me exposed to the water was my Bulbous Bow and although I made short work of signaling to the skipper that I was coming back on board, she towed me through another 50 meters of the jello soup before letting me back in. The treatment for a sting is to pour on vinegar to the affected site . My top lip was reddened and swollen for the rest of the day.
It is back to New Zealand tomorrow
I wonder what will happen next
Alvin
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Airlie Beach QLD
January 09 2007
I was heading for our tent which is under a tarpaulin, near the small creek. Gums and ferns abound . The birds were settling down for the night in the trees above me . Raucous screams form the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos filled the air . I was treading lightly in bare feet watching out for any cane toads,spiders and other creepy crawlies that may cross my path . The shadows were long the park lights were dim only illuminating corners of buildings and entrances to the dunnies and bridges ,
Rachel has two small wire haired fox terrier dogs . About a foot in length in total . I had them on a lead . Both mutts were straining to gain their freedom and dash off to explore the scrub and follow up on the rustling in the foliage on the edge of the track .
A women loomed out of the darkness. " Hallo Alvin " she called in a distinctive north Queensland ascent . I was taken aback . Only Rachel and Scott knew i was in the camp and I had just left them at their caravan. The dogs strained forward pulling to greet the women . She bent down and showered affection on the bigger of the two dogs . It was then i remembered that Rachel had called one of her dogs after their grandfather.
The Whitsunday Islands are about midway up the barrier reef on the coast of Queensland . Rachel is currently gardening on the resort of Hamilton Island . Rules are you cant have dogs on the island so it is a daily ferry boat ride to work from the mainland . We poke around the resort on the day we arrived . A massive tourist complex. Golf cart are the main mode of transport, they sneak up on you silently. The landscape is spectacular with palms and eucalyptus set out in all their glory.
About 20 years ago we had camped at Airley Beach when the children were 5 and 7 . at that time we had arrive when the weather was extremely hot. these first few days have been tolerable . up to 30 degrees C in the late afternoon. The camp pool is a very popular spot at that time . Our park had a mandatory pool and a great way to meet fellow travellers. Day time temps have been up in the high 30s and humidity sweltering at times.
Tomorrow , Rachels day leave commences for a week . We plan to hire a boat for the day and find a spot to snorkel and swim. This time of the year the poisonous jelly fish are about so I will have to hire 'Stinger Suits' which will also help keep me from cooking in the relentless sun . I have also booked a scuba diving trip out to the reef . I well remember the remarkable reef life and the myriad of reef fish.
We arrive into NZ back in early December, took a week to get over jet lag and meet up with family and friends . My daughter, Tamra, is guiding on Fox Glacier. At time she is able to put family and friend on a Heli-Hike to fill the helicopter seats. Bev had the first opportunity . donning crampons and a walking pole she climbed around the ice crevices and arches. Two hours soon pass and the flight out swoop you over the Ice face back to civilization.
We spent Xmas at Fox glacier with Chris and Tamra and reunited with the Tucks who had returned home form all parts of the world . Colin is in Malaysia doing mineral exploration surveys using helicopters , Poppy just finished her African O/E travelling down from Kenya to Cape Town, overland . Lewis returned from Canada where he is flying Helicopters for a logging process in Northern Vancouver island. Plenty of stories and adventures where shared.
I was thinking that all was going well with our travels and return to base until....... Our forest block manager, Mike Rooney and I decided to tidy up the front fence of the property . This necessitated the realignment of the fence and the digging of several post holes for strainers . My hands are too soft for heavy manual work so we opted for the hire of a small digger to tidy the fence line and dig the strainer post holes.
After much deliberation I said "Dig here Mike" several bucket fulls where removed in short order . We were both peering into the hole and spotted a cable protruding form each side of the newly excavated hole . Bugger, we had ripped up the Telephone Cables. This meant all the phones up the valley were off the air. Guilt and embarrassment made me slink over to a neighbours to inform them of my mis-adventure. The bill for repairs is yet to arrive.
Bev and I have instigated some repairs to the properties in Hokitika . New windows have been ordered and yards and general tidy up undertaken . The painter has 30% of the external repaint done and new floor coverings will go in when we get back for our 18 days in Aussie.
Well better go and get my 'stinger suit' and do some snorkeling around the rocks
I wonder what will happen next
Alvin & Bev
I was heading for our tent which is under a tarpaulin, near the small creek. Gums and ferns abound . The birds were settling down for the night in the trees above me . Raucous screams form the Sulphur Crested Cockatoos filled the air . I was treading lightly in bare feet watching out for any cane toads,spiders and other creepy crawlies that may cross my path . The shadows were long the park lights were dim only illuminating corners of buildings and entrances to the dunnies and bridges ,
Rachel has two small wire haired fox terrier dogs . About a foot in length in total . I had them on a lead . Both mutts were straining to gain their freedom and dash off to explore the scrub and follow up on the rustling in the foliage on the edge of the track .
A women loomed out of the darkness. " Hallo Alvin " she called in a distinctive north Queensland ascent . I was taken aback . Only Rachel and Scott knew i was in the camp and I had just left them at their caravan. The dogs strained forward pulling to greet the women . She bent down and showered affection on the bigger of the two dogs . It was then i remembered that Rachel had called one of her dogs after their grandfather.
The Whitsunday Islands are about midway up the barrier reef on the coast of Queensland . Rachel is currently gardening on the resort of Hamilton Island . Rules are you cant have dogs on the island so it is a daily ferry boat ride to work from the mainland . We poke around the resort on the day we arrived . A massive tourist complex. Golf cart are the main mode of transport, they sneak up on you silently. The landscape is spectacular with palms and eucalyptus set out in all their glory.
About 20 years ago we had camped at Airley Beach when the children were 5 and 7 . at that time we had arrive when the weather was extremely hot. these first few days have been tolerable . up to 30 degrees C in the late afternoon. The camp pool is a very popular spot at that time . Our park had a mandatory pool and a great way to meet fellow travellers. Day time temps have been up in the high 30s and humidity sweltering at times.
Tomorrow , Rachels day leave commences for a week . We plan to hire a boat for the day and find a spot to snorkel and swim. This time of the year the poisonous jelly fish are about so I will have to hire 'Stinger Suits' which will also help keep me from cooking in the relentless sun . I have also booked a scuba diving trip out to the reef . I well remember the remarkable reef life and the myriad of reef fish.
We arrive into NZ back in early December, took a week to get over jet lag and meet up with family and friends . My daughter, Tamra, is guiding on Fox Glacier. At time she is able to put family and friend on a Heli-Hike to fill the helicopter seats. Bev had the first opportunity . donning crampons and a walking pole she climbed around the ice crevices and arches. Two hours soon pass and the flight out swoop you over the Ice face back to civilization.
We spent Xmas at Fox glacier with Chris and Tamra and reunited with the Tucks who had returned home form all parts of the world . Colin is in Malaysia doing mineral exploration surveys using helicopters , Poppy just finished her African O/E travelling down from Kenya to Cape Town, overland . Lewis returned from Canada where he is flying Helicopters for a logging process in Northern Vancouver island. Plenty of stories and adventures where shared.
I was thinking that all was going well with our travels and return to base until....... Our forest block manager, Mike Rooney and I decided to tidy up the front fence of the property . This necessitated the realignment of the fence and the digging of several post holes for strainers . My hands are too soft for heavy manual work so we opted for the hire of a small digger to tidy the fence line and dig the strainer post holes.
After much deliberation I said "Dig here Mike" several bucket fulls where removed in short order . We were both peering into the hole and spotted a cable protruding form each side of the newly excavated hole . Bugger, we had ripped up the Telephone Cables. This meant all the phones up the valley were off the air. Guilt and embarrassment made me slink over to a neighbours to inform them of my mis-adventure. The bill for repairs is yet to arrive.
Bev and I have instigated some repairs to the properties in Hokitika . New windows have been ordered and yards and general tidy up undertaken . The painter has 30% of the external repaint done and new floor coverings will go in when we get back for our 18 days in Aussie.
Well better go and get my 'stinger suit' and do some snorkeling around the rocks
I wonder what will happen next
Alvin & Bev
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