Day 2 on the Reef - Tusa

Pictures taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 Waterproof Camera

Tusa 6 out of Cairns

For our second trip out, we took a recommendation from our hotel concierge and tried Tusa out of Cairns.  Tusa had just unveiled its latest, Tusa 6, boat the week prior.   As a diver (perhaps we needed to talk to a snorkeler), the concierge said this was the group she would suggest and helped us pick one day of the two we had left to try to make sure we had calmer seas. She also said by going out of Cairns we'd have less travel time.  Well, yes, there was less travel time to the dock because we could walk there in ten minutes, but the boat ride was quite lengthy to say the least.  I think it took us a good two and a half hours to get out to the Outer Reef despite the fact that the brochures said 90 minutes travel time.  Additionally, the seas were rough once again.  We managed fine, but there were quite a few paper bags being passed out by the crew.  This didn't make for a very pleasant ride especially since the boat was smaller than the Quicksilver one.  There was no escaping the paper bags, the sounds of the sick passengers, etc...


Tusa had also been recommended because it was a smaller boat with fewer people than our first trip with Quicksilver.  Although this boat had fewer people, I think we actually ended up with less time in the water.  Tusa was very much focused on the divers and those doing introductory dives that those of us who were just snorkeling lost a lot of time in the water.  We had to wait for some of the divers to go off before we were even allowed on the lower level to get off.  Then we were called back to the boat for lunch and to move to the next stop. However, we ended up waiting more than an hour before the boat moved on to the next location because some divers were just leaving as we were called back.  This was so disappointing because this first stop was a wonderful location to explore and we too would have liked more time. Considering the cost of this trip, I found this pretty unfair and it cost us precious time at our next stop.  


At the second site, a very brief ride away from our first site, we didn't even get 30 minutes in the water and we were quite a ways from the actual Reef, so, it took some time to make your way to where all the coral and sea life was easily seen.  Otherwise, the water was pretty dark.  This is where I had a glimpse of the Reef Shark (supposedly harmless I know) directly below me and called it a day.  My husband continued to explore, but was genuinely disappointed in this second location.  By the time he got to the Reef part, we were all being called back to head back to shore.  Then it was time for another long ride back to port with more sick passengers.  The return trip ended up taking longer because we were lucky enough to see some whales which was a highlight of the day.  


It is hard to really compare this day to our Quicksilver day because they both had pluses and minuses.  We really enjoyed being able to visit two sites with Tusa, but found the crew generally more friendly on Quicksilver.  The size of the boat made it easier to relax a little too because there was more room to spread out throughout the day.  I can't blame either for the rough seas, but Quicksilver did seem to handle it a bit better.  Perhaps that is because fewer people were sick because it was a bigger boat.  Either way, we created memories each day which is the most important thing.  We hope to go back to the Reef, but will probably pick a tour operator that is for snorkelers only or will do one of the overnight stays on the Reef, so, we can spend more time in the water than on a bus or a boat.

Great Barrier Reef

Feeling Small

As cliche as it may sound, there are simply no words to adequately describe the beauty and massiveness of the Great Barrier Reef and we only saw a very small part of it.  

Initially, we had only planned on spending one day on the Reef going out of Port Douglas with Quicksilver.  The day we went, the seas were rough.  Very rough.  There were a lot of people sick on the boat and compared to most excursions offered in the area, it was perhaps the biggest boat available.  Thankfully, we did okay and took some medicine before leaving just in case.  However, once we got to the Quicksilver Pontoon, that was another story.  I am a strong swimmer, but I was afraid.  I needed to just let myself float and not try to swim.  However, because of the rough seas, I wanted some sort of control over where I went and wanted to get back quickly if needed, so, I was reluctant to let the waves carry me.  This resulted in me giving up after about 15 minutes in the water.  My husband explored a little more and was a bit more adventurous.  However, I tried to keep my eyes on him as much as possible because he is not a strong swimmer.  He did well though and took quite a few lovely pictures except he zoomed in on most.  I wish we had more pictures of the grandeur that is the Reef, but he wouldn't give up the camera, so, lesson learned- we need to buy another digital underwater camera if we go back!  (The one we used was a Panasonic Lumix.)

Because the water was so rough, many of the people decided not to get in the water.  This made it nice because the water wasn't crowded by any means and in fact after lunch when I decided to give it another try, there were maybe only twenty people in the water.  Thankfully the water calmed down a little at that point and I was smart enough to take a noodle with me to help me float a bit.  

This particular reef was nice and quite large, but we enjoyed our second trip out quite a bit more (more on that later).  However, the one thing I have to say about the Reef is that I have never felt so small and so inconsequential.  It goes on and on for what seems like forever and it is a world completely different from that which I know.  The Reef was majestic, overwhelming, and a bit intimidating.  

Sharks anyone?  Not this time.  Day two is another story.

Pure joy in Australia...

Let me introduce you to Chibby

In August, we had a chance to travel to Australia.  This was a trip that we decided on at the last minute (May) when we couldn't decide what kind of vacation to take last year. I never thought we'd go to Australia, but it is was incredible in every way you could imagine and more.  We made a lot of memories and dream of returning sooner than later.

Chibby was a lovely, cuddly koala that we had an opportunity to hold in Kuranda at the Koala Gardens.  We had been warned that koalas can be mean, aren't cuddly or soft and tend to pee on people.  Well, I don't know if we got lucky or what, but Chibby was none of those things.  Her fur was super soft and thick and she just cuddled right into me and my husband.  She held most of her weight in her bottom, so, it was kind of like holding a baby with a weighted bottom.  There was no need to change clothes afterwards either which was an added plus.  We were one of the first few people there in the morning, so, I got to hold Chibby for an extended period of time which made my day!  This was the highlight of the trip for me.

To be fair, I did hold another koala in Cairns that was a little stinky from all the eucalyptus and not as soft as Chibby. That one was a male, so, I'm not sure if that was the reason.  It may have also had to do with how well the koalas were treated and cared for at each spot too.

The only place we saw koalas in the wild was at Kangaroo Island.  They are kind of hard to spot in the trees if they are up high, but we found a few.  We also had the chance to see a baby koala (joey) and his mother at an animal reserve on Kangaroo Island.   Absolutely precious! I'll be sure to post pictures soon now that I seem to have the picture issue resolved.

I knew that I loved koalas before getting to Australia, but now I love them even more.  As a child I had a chance to see one at the Buffalo Zoo during a special exhibit one summer, but this was so much better.  However, I'm still trying to convince my husband that we need to move to San Diego, so, I can visit the koalas there from time to time.  This plan isn't going so well, but I'm not giving up hope.  The fact that Sheldon expressed his love for koalas on The Big Bang Theory a few weeks ago made my day and reinvigorated my desire to be able to see these beautiful little creatures more often!

The Magic of a Disney Christmas- Part 1