This morning was an early morning as I had to be at the Reef Fleet Terminal at 7.15, which was a half hour walk from my hostel! Due to this I was awoken by my alarm, and from here maximised my time in bed before heading out in the rather damp outside. The flooded path had drained outside my room though which at least meant I didn't get my feet wet. I was going to get breakfast from Woolworths this morning but I found out it didn't open until 8 so I ended up having to have crisps and chocolate from the nightowl instead!
Heading to the reef fleet terminal bang on time, I boarded my boat for the day called the Ocean Free. With about 30 people with a range of ages onboard, it was basically a large sailing boat. I was going to take the Ocean Freedom boat out but when booking I was told it was out of action for cleaning. Upon boarding we were given the option of tea and coffee, with muffins on the side.
The plan for the day was to sail to Green Island which was a two hour boat ride from Cairns. Due to the fact barely no one was eating the muffins meant I was eating more than my fair share on the way out. It was nice seeing the skyline of Cairns and the surrounding rainforest disappear into the skyline. A short while after leaving we were given a safety brief as I was doing a dive as well as the snorkelling. It was all pretty standard with nothing other than health and safety, along with showing us all these hand signals which meant various things. It was impossible to remember them all as most were related to seeing fish!
I was first up for diving when anchoring up nearby Green Island, and with a two to one diver to instructor ratio we were really well looked after. I was first into the warm blue waters which was made better by the fact we had clear blue sky's with the sun gleaming down on us! When descending this time my ears were a little dodgy, but I just took things slowly using their nose pinch technique to gently pop them which really helped. When in the water it was a far more coral based system, and despite still being a brown based coral system with the odd coloured coral, it was made more spectacular by the fish. My favourite was the massive blue fish, but the sheer diversity of fish meant there are simply too many to talk about!
In the end I was down below for around 25 minutes, and got complimented by the instructor as I managed the whole thing on my own, successfully controlling my water level. I'm really tempted to get my PADI qualification now. After completing the dive I headed straight back out to go snorkelling which was done by one of the boat crew, seeing yet more fish, and also getting to hold this massive sea cucumber. The water was actually really shallow in places as well considering we were a fair way from the island, although this naturally brought me closer to the illuminated corals and fish from the sun.
When getting back in the boat, I was lucky enough to see a shark in the water, and by the time lunch was served around 4 of them were circling the boat! These were only small ones though that don't eat humans. Lunch today was these platters of meats, pasta, salad and bread, and everytime they seemed to get empty another platter was brought out. I certainly wasn't hungry, making the most out of the food, especially the chicken drumsticks!
After lunch we were transferred to Green Island by the small boat that was towed behind us. The island itself was only small and was home to a posh hotel at $600 a night. People were getting transferred in by helicopter! Whilst on the island I walked to the nearby pier to go turtle spotting without luck, then heading on a loop round the sandy island with lots of rocks. It only took about half an hour to go round, and on my return I followed this boardwalk inside the island past this crocodile centre. The small centre houses the biggest crocodile in captivity in the world! The boardwalk continued round and it was very interesting reading all the signs, which took me out to the hotels entrance. Outside were a few expensive food places, and some shops. After a short look round I headed back to the beach ready to be transferred back to the boat.
When re boarding the boat I relaxed in the shaded shelter for a bit whilst some people completed their extra dives which was an optional extra. I opted for the island instead, and before long everyone was back on the boat ready to set off back to Cairns. We were given platters of tropical fruit when leaving which was very refreshing. A short while after leaving as well the boats captain hoisted all the boats sails up and turned off the engine ready to sail back to Cairns. It was all pretty relaxing from here, and it was interesting hearing about this proposal to build seven high rise hotels and water park amongst things in an area currently swampland nearby Cairns
Continuing through the calm waters in the gleaming sun, we were brought out these platters of cheese and biscuits, and I even bared a glass of complimentary wine. I think everyone was full by now which meant I had lots of cheeses. Before long Cairns came into the skyline, and to top things off for the day we were brought out these platters full of cake. They were very nice although I was glad when finally arriving back in Cairns as this signalled the end of what felt like a food binge!
After disembarking the boat I looked round Cairns and its gift shops getting a couple of souvenirs. I also passed the tree where all the bats were, which I now know are called flying foxes. The final stop before heading back to the hostel was Woolworths where I just a got a couple of supplies for dinner, before trekking back through town to the hostel.
When back at the hostel, I relaxed in the common room having a quick skype session and using the WiFi, before heading down to the seafront to have a french stick and shortbread I bought for dinner. I also took the evening to pack my bags ready for yet another early start tomorrow morning. Before long it got quite late as I took part in the hostels quiz night which was far more manageable, although I didn't win. It was frustrating when going to bed though as the Japanese people in my room made a racket when returning at around midnight which woke me up.
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