AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND, The Great Barrier Reef

Coral Reef Fish

Sept 21:  On the second day of our Australian tour, we boarded the 110-passenger catamaran “Ocean Spirit,” for an all-day excursion to the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the world, and home to an incredible diversity of marine-based wildlife. This was our first, and longest, of four boat rides throughout our 3-week tour, as we sailed 25 miles offshore.

Our Catamaran, the Ocean Spirit

As our boat cruised out of the harbour, we spotted an Osprey standing on a marker, and our first terns of the day, Gull-billed, Crested and Caspian, before settling in for the two-hour sail to the reef on this gorgeous day.

Michaelmas Cay

We dropped anchor at Michaelmas Cay, a picturesque, low-lying, sand reef surrounded by magical coral gardens teeming with exotic marine life. This tiny, sparsely-vegetated cay is also a protected sanctuary for 20,000 migratory seabirds, making it one of the most important nesting sites in the Southern Hemisphere.

Brown Noddy and Sooty Tern colony on Michaelmas Cay

Ours was the last of three boats to arrive, and we used a dinghy to transport the group 200-yards to the shore. A small beach area was roped off as the designated spot for swimming and snorkeling. Most of our group opted to do so, even for just a short time. Lisa made the most of it, forgoing even the wonderful lunch spread! We maximized our hours here, patrolling the beach and looking for a Black Noddy amongst the thousands of nesting Brown Noddies and Sooty Terns. Barry remarked that it had been all Black Noddies a few months earlier. A couple of Great Frigatebirds floated over the cay, while pairs of Lesser Crested Terns chased each other in courtship display.

Sooty Tern on egg

Looking beyond the masses of terns nesting on top of the cay, we stood on tiptoe for glimpses of birds on the other side. I could make out a Brown Booby or two, before losing the view into the sandy slope.

Brown Boobies and terns on Michaelmas Cay

Following lunch, Barry had arranged for the crew to take us birders on a boat ride around to the the other side of the cay. This gave us an excellent view of the nesting Brown Boobies, as well as a number of loafing Black-naped Tern and Little Terns.

Viewing the coral reef by submarine

Our last outing at the reef was to pile in two-by-two, sitting side-by-side into a glass-sided submarine that took us over and around magnificent corals, giant clams and schools of colorful fish, a brief glimpse of the great number of marine creatures that rely upon the resources of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the largest natural wonders of the world, and a globally important site for wildlife diversity.

all photos © adrian binns