Here We Go Again - Chapter 35 - Cairns Day 3

Early starts are becoming the usual rather than the odd one out. Not quite as early as yesterday but enough to make sure we had the alarm on to ensure we were ready for the Uber driver.

Forbsy is outside, but Silver Leader and Rose are not. He heads back toward their van to hustle them along and in the meantime, detours off to the little boys block, adjacent to their van. We all eventually end up at our van and head out to the street to await our Uber driver. Because we are five, we need a larger vehicle to fit us all. Forbsy has already been to the Toyota dealer this morning and dripped his Cruiser up for a scheduled service. He has ordered the Uber and when it arrives our driver is more than happy to configure his vehicle to accommodate us.

The trip to the ferry terminal is short and we arrive with an inordinate amount of time to wait before we board our vessel for our trip to the outer reef. There are walks here and there are walks there as we while away the time before we get aboard the ferry. At 9.30 I head into the booking area to confirm our bookings and get our tickets. There are very few people in the marshalling area and the staff deal with me with a demeanor boarding on jocularity.

The tickets are issued, along with the boarding passes. I head back out to the others and distribute the tickets. In the meantime they have congregated on the pier, not far from what we believe is our conveyance for the day. I am wrong, we are actually waiting for a vessel to arrive from Green Island and the one we are viewing is actually in for maintenance according to the crew, also waiting for the boat. 

Eventually it arrives, the few passengers transferring from Green Island alight and we, and the growing queue of passengers, get on the large catamaran dn ready ourselves for the trip to first, Green Island, and then the fixed pontoon on the reef. Before we start, tea and coffee are served, along with sweet biscuits. We have plonked ourselves on the middle deck, in the airconditioning and resign ourselves to the comfort of the level as we head off at speed into the ocean and our first stop.

The trip goes to plan. Morning tea is served. Carrot cake and chocolate mud cake. Of course I choose the mud cake.

Green Island sees most of the passengers alight. One of the crew suggests its going to be a great day for us on the pontoon as only 40 guests are making the trip onto the pontoon. Getting the boat back into the ocean proper, it is almost empty now with only 40 passengers. There are kids on the top deck making enough noise rushing up and down the decks to make it seem like there are herds of children up there.

It was almost an hour to Green Island and it will be almost another to the pontoon. Its after 11.00am when we finally arrive. We have something like 4 hours here. We can scuba, we can snorkel or we can just chill, but there is a submersible boat that takes my interest and it will make its first journey while lunch is being prepared.

I cannot believe it, Robyn is apprehensive to get into the submersible. Not something I had encountered before, Robyn is a little claustrophobic. I encourage her to join me but she is stubbornly against it. She finally succumbs to my reminstrations and joins me under the water on the viewing platform of the submersible.

There are big fish everywhere, all hold up under the pontoon. There are trevally, giant trevally, wrasse and all manner of fish, predators, zooming around in eyesight.. The boat moves away from the pontoon. The vision of the pontoon soon becomes a blur of blue as the deep water is the only thing we can see.

All of a sudden the reef comes into view and the marvels of this heritage listed natural wonder of the world start to unfold in front of us. The coral and the symbiotic wildlife that it harbours are placed in front of us. The corals, hard and soft, are there for us all to see. There are fish, small and larger, all going about their business, apparently oblivious to the submersible.

Pictures are snapped. Marvels taken in and the grandeur of the vista simply gorged upon.

The trip is over all too soon but not before I hit my head hard trying to get from one side of the viewing platform to the other. The blow is somewhat debilitating and instantly gives me a headache but I do not tell anyone about it, keeping the silliness of my actions to myself.

Lunch is a buffet style repast. We go back again and again, firstly for the hot fare and then the prawns and finally the fruit. Hunger is not an option, and given the “lack” of numbers on the boat on the way in, overeating, to the detriment of someone missing out, is not a problem.

Lunch over, it’s time to go to the observatory at the end of the pontoon. Here where the pontoon moves to and from the edge of the reef, there are lots of fish. In the open water there are all sorts of different types, including a barramundi cod. The trevally and the wrasse wander past from time to time. 

A turtle wanders under the pontoon and I manage to capture it on the phone.

On the other side of the observatory there are a number of very large spangled emperor, just holding under the pontoon.. They sit and wait, the fish are in a spot where they are protected by their number and potentially would move either under the cover of darkness or on top of the tide to satisfy any food requirements.

A lady comes into the observatory and begins to take videos of some of the snorkelers in front of the windows. One would think this would scare the fish off but actually it seems to attract even more fish to the scene. Her children, probably only justy old enough to be in the water are with their father and another and frolic in the water. Its a great scene.

Another trip of the submersible is about to leave the pontoon and I suggest to Robyn with the falling tide this might be even better than the first one. She again is apprehensive but eventually she comes down the walkway. Rose, who has been struggling with motion sickness since we started the day, is encouraged to join us.. Given the morning trip was very calm I encourage her to join us and we are snapped by the trip photographer as we enter the submersible.

I was right, the water level is much lower and we are significantly closer to the reef this time around. We are also able this time around to head out into the pressure side of the reef. I think of Rose as the submersible pitches in the current, but the results are evident in the snaps we get to take. Sharks, turtles and much larger fish than on the first trip are evident in the slightly more turbulent water. The vista is amazing and we take a myriad of pictures to capture the moments.

On our return, we work our way to the ice creamery. Chocolate cone and mango cups are ordered along with a Wild Turkey can and we sit in the cool of the lower deck and eat to our hearts content. I even manage to sneak the last piece of chocolate mud cake left out for the passengers to finish off. 

Well finish it off I did.

There is a long horn blast. Its time to head back to Green Island and then home to Cairns. The 40 passengers from the pontoon are significantly swelled when we take on numbers at Green Island and the noise from above starts again as the youngsters go back to racing to and from the front of the boat.

Back at Cairns and after a little Nanna Nap on the way back we look to get a lift back to Forbsy’s Cruiser at the local Toyota dealer. We go to the place where we were left by the morning Uber driver and attempt to book the trip home but the app wont let us input the pier as a pick up. Heading down the street we attempt again with the same result.

I spot the casino and suggest that might be a spot that Uber may pick us up. We try again with success and soon enough our driver arrives and we are off to the Toyota dealer. The Cruir is where it is supposed to be and the key is in the suggested spot all ready for us. Before we can return to the vans, there is a an issue of the lack of alcohol at the van park. 

Silver Leader and Forbsy need beer and we could do with some bubbles for Robyn and a bottle of bourbon. Once back I return a call from my son, who introduces us to his new girlfriend, Anna, and discusses the purchase of a new house.

Dinner is not required, we ate all too well on the trip today and we retire after another very full day of activity. Tomorrow will start with a breakfast with family. One of Robyn’s nieces, her goddaughter in fact, is in town with her daughter on school holidays and we have selected a pan cake parlour for the start of the day and will play it by ear after that.

There is washing to be done, especially if I want any clothes to wear over the rest of our stay here in Cairns and we can attend to that in the morning before breakfast and hang it out ot be rinsed in the rain or hung on our own line under the awning where it may dry eventually.

But for now its time for bed