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Sorry for the cryptic title. Three weeks ago, I got a phone call asking me if I could fly to Brisbane, Australia on short notice to speak at an international natural gas symposium. My schedule was clear, so I agreed. I left home last Sunday and spent 34 hours door-to-door getting to Brisbane. I arrived on Tues morning, gave my speech on Thursday, and now have Fri, Sat, and Sun to play.
Today I took a ferry to Moreton Island, about 90 minutes away from Brisbane by ferry. The boat docked at Tangalooma resort. My tour package allowed me to select a variety of water-related activities. During the morning I took a guided snorkel tour to see 12 ships that had been intentionally sunk in shallow water to create a breakwater and a natural reef. The tour did not last long, but it whetted my appetite for more. After lunch, I rented a generic sit-on-top kayak and paddled a mile back to the ships. I beached the kayak and snorkled for 90 minutes until my legs were ready to cramp up. The water temperature was in the low 70s. That is too cold for most Australians, so they provided wetsuits for all the snorkelers. I chose a shorty and was comfortable. The visibility ranged from 5-10 feet depending on the specific location.
There were many different species of reef-type fish. They were pretty tame. Occasionally, I turned around and found dozens of fish that seemed to be following me (no not big ones looking for a meal, but curious smaller fish). Although I never attempted to catch any of them, I feel like I spent a lot of time in the fish world (and I thoroughly enjoyed it).
My most memorable sights today were: a) a wobbegong shark of about 5 ft. These are docile fish that are heavily camouflaged and live on the bottom; b) a huge ray that had a slender whip-like tail that seemed to be longer than I am tall; c) as I was kayaking back to the resort after snorkeling a large sea turtle raised its softball-sized head out of the water twice to check me our before submerging; and d) a dugong -- a marine mammal much like the manatee.
So the story does include both kayaking and lots of fish. I am tired and stiff sitting in my hotel room writing this story and drinking a bottle of beer I bought at the local package store (note - beer is grotesquely expensive here -- a six-pack of regular beer is often $15 or more).
Today I took a ferry to Moreton Island, about 90 minutes away from Brisbane by ferry. The boat docked at Tangalooma resort. My tour package allowed me to select a variety of water-related activities. During the morning I took a guided snorkel tour to see 12 ships that had been intentionally sunk in shallow water to create a breakwater and a natural reef. The tour did not last long, but it whetted my appetite for more. After lunch, I rented a generic sit-on-top kayak and paddled a mile back to the ships. I beached the kayak and snorkled for 90 minutes until my legs were ready to cramp up. The water temperature was in the low 70s. That is too cold for most Australians, so they provided wetsuits for all the snorkelers. I chose a shorty and was comfortable. The visibility ranged from 5-10 feet depending on the specific location.
There were many different species of reef-type fish. They were pretty tame. Occasionally, I turned around and found dozens of fish that seemed to be following me (no not big ones looking for a meal, but curious smaller fish). Although I never attempted to catch any of them, I feel like I spent a lot of time in the fish world (and I thoroughly enjoyed it).
My most memorable sights today were: a) a wobbegong shark of about 5 ft. These are docile fish that are heavily camouflaged and live on the bottom; b) a huge ray that had a slender whip-like tail that seemed to be longer than I am tall; c) as I was kayaking back to the resort after snorkeling a large sea turtle raised its softball-sized head out of the water twice to check me our before submerging; and d) a dugong -- a marine mammal much like the manatee.
So the story does include both kayaking and lots of fish. I am tired and stiff sitting in my hotel room writing this story and drinking a bottle of beer I bought at the local package store (note - beer is grotesquely expensive here -- a six-pack of regular beer is often $15 or more).
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