yesterday was almost cloudless…a few random fluffs gave the illusion of modesty to the sun burning brightly overhead as our boat made its way to the reef. even with the sun showing us her spleandor the wind still sent a chill through me – compounded by the water breaking over the front of the boat and spraying us.
but once we hit the reef who cares really. for miles and miles in either direction are you see are light and dark blue and green spots. the occasional sand island ilke the maldives.
we suited up in wet suits (the water is about 23 degrees C but after a few hours can chill you) and plunged in. a brisk swim to the beginning of the reefs and the wildlife emerges out of nowhere. random fish…some bigger than my head…swimming about. coral swaying and shimmering in the water. gazing down i realized just how alive the place is.
i’ve been snorkeling before in zanzibar…and mexico…and a few other places…but what the reef gives you that other places never seemed to is perspective. the crew members explained that the reef is 10,000 years old. that some of the coral are hundreds and hundreds of years old…the very notion that this bizarre creature that is both animal and plant simultaneously has found a place for itself and is creating a lasting home is amazing.
then there were the little things…like cleaning stations…little animals/fish that clean other fish by crawling into their mouths and out their gills and picking things from wherever they can find. aparently there are rules to be obeyed and even if the fish in front of you would normally be dinner for the fish behind it…they won’t attack at a feeding station. instead they wait patiently as if it is a carwash.
this morning was another early day…off to do sea kyaking along cape tribulation. i hoped to see turtles but mostly i had a beautiful view of the ocean as it lapped over me and i paddled from one beach to another. we looked for a croc (this place is riddled with them) to no avail and then headed back to sea.
in a few hours i’m heading to a jungle canapoy. they suspend you over trees tied to a line and you kind of sail/glide over the oldest rainforest in the world…the daintree…i’ll let you know how that goes.