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Published: September 26th 2008
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Hi guys! We are just back from sailing the Whitsundays and thought we'd better quickly do the blog before heading off to Frasier Island tonight on the overnight bus...
We spent 3 days in Magnetic Island which was beautiful and very chilled out. I think we wrote a bit about it last time anyway. Our accommodation was very sweet if rather remote - we were kept up most of the night by curlews and possums... anyway it was nice to have our own place and it made a good alternative to the hostels. The first day we pottered about getting to grips with stuff and then the second day we hired a 4x4 and set off round the island. There's not much to cover really, just a few very beautiful natural bays, a bit of off-roading which was fun (apart from the bit we weren't supposed to be on and ended up having to be towed off by a local!).
We got jetskis out at Horseshoe Bay - one each very nice! Rich stayed here when he was last here but thought it had all changed a bit - not surprising in 12 years I suppose! We had a
gorgeous day though and went hiking up a little path to go koala spotting - we saw two in the trees up there! Unfortunately we are at another rubbish internet spot where we can't put photos on, but we will as soon as we can. The koalas are so cute, they are like little furry doormice generally asleep in the fork of a tree branch - they tuck their noses under their paws and look so adorable. One we saw was actually 'active' although for a koala this just means he was creeping slowly down a branch (think like a sloath only above the branch) eating eucaliptus leaves. We were so chuffed to see them anyway - really ticking off our Australian creatures!
Then on Monday we got up bright and early to dive the SS Yongala - one of the top 10 dive sites in the world. We were very excited and also very nervous about this, we weren't sure we were really experienced enough, but we did two dives, both as adventure dives and are now half way to completing our advanced PADI diver course! The dive boat took about 2.5 hours to get out there and
it was a really really rough ride - very choppy sea, tiny boat full of dive gear... lots of people turning green and chucking up left right and centre and Rich wasn't enjoying it too much although his sea legs are improving daily! Anyway once we got there and managed to get our clobber on (it is so difficult to pull on a wetsuit and heave a tank onto your back on a boat tipping from side to side as you divers will know!) it was WELL worth it! The dive was awesome - we went straight down to 28m to do our deep dive and this took us to the bottom of the wreck, the top side lies in about 18m of water. We saw loads of stuff that we'd seen on the reef already but it's as if all the fish are on steroids they were bloody massive! We saw stingrays the size of a dining room table, an eagle manta ray which is even bigger, a GT (giant turtle) the size of a kitchen table, more sharks, enormous sea snakes and an octopus which was really something - our dive instructor had never even seen one down
there before. They are like wierd furry ghosts that hug the wreck and shuffle along. There were also man-eating sharks down there - bull sharks and tiger sharks and thank GOD we didn't see the bull shark that was hanging about in the background as we ascended the mooring line, I think that would have sent me into panic mode! The wreck is surprisingly intact after 100 years at the bottom of the ocean, although it is completely covered in coral which is what makes it such an awesome dive as all the fish come to it, you can see bits of the boat intact - we saw the three toilets for example. Very spooky! All in all it was an amazing dive, we wish we could do it all over again - next time we would go from Ayre though which is only 1/2 an hour away on a boat.
We got straight off on the bus to Airlie Beach after that, and slept all the way again... on to the next blog for more...
Lots of love
C&R xxxx
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Victoria Mummy Ham
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Deep Stuff!
We are SO much enjoying your blogs, beautifully written and helping us all to live it with you - even though every one of us reading them is GREEN with envy (if not green with living the boat experience..). What's the weather like? Live the dream, folks - honeymoons are meant to be special and this one obviously is! Lots of love xx