Best of the Great Barrier Reef

As a part of my Best of Australia recommendations, these are my opinions on the Great Barrier Reef. When you go to Australia, you have to go to the reef. That's all there is to it. I took 7 days for my drive up the coast, but you can do quicker if you fly. There is a lot to see between Sydney and the Whitsundays if you decide to drive. Byron Bay is a cool surf town and the scenery is much different than Sydney or Melbourne. I didn't spend any time in Brisbane, but I'm sure there are things to see.

You'll have to balance between time and budget on how you want to get there. You can find one way flights to Hamilton Island from $100 up depending on the season. You'll want to book a sailing trip from Airlie Beach. I took a boat called Summertime and spent 3 days there. It was the best vacation of my life.  There are all kinds of different boat trip packages, styles and formats.  Do a little research on Google and find one that works for you.  If you're into diving or want to be, get your license before you go.  But even if you can't do that, a lot of the boats will let you do introductory dives without one.

If you love the reef as much as me and have even more time to see it, I would also suggest adding Cairns to your itinerary. It's further out of the way from the bigger cities and is only mildly different in sightseeing options, but any excuse to go diving and sailing is worth it for me. #1 is the Whitsundays, #2 is Cairns as far as priorities. If you can do either, you'll have an amazing time.

Best of Australia

Over my time in Sydney I have had multiple friends send me questions on the best things to do in Australia. I didn’t get to see the entire country, but did get to sight-see along most of the east coast. I played tour guide when both friends and family come to visit me during my time in Sydney in addition to my own explorations.

One of the frequent questions I received was about trip duration. On a two week vacation, do you have time to visit both New Zealand and Australia, or Fiji and Australia? My answer is absolutely not. I did not get a chance to go to NZ, but from friends that have been there I know that you need at least a week, if not more, in NZ. So assuming you’re going to focus the entire trip in Oz, here is what I would recommend.

First of all, there’s no way to see the entire country in two weeks. Let me put it in perspective. There are far fewer tourist centers in Australia compared to the US, but imagine trying to see NYC, DC, Miami, New Orleans, LA, San Francisco and Chicago in two weeks. Yes, you could probably do it, but you’re not going to get the full experience.

The three must-sees in Australia are Melbourne, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef. They’re all on the east coast, so let’s narrow your trip down to that section. You’ll probably fly into Sydney, so we’ll start there.

If you’re not used to international travel, especially flights over 10 hours, you’re going to be majorly jet lagged when you land. You’ll fly out of LAX in the evening and land at SYD in the morning, totally missing one day. Keep that in mind as you plan your flights. I found that the best way to beat jet lag is to sleep as much as possible on the plane (with the help of Ambien if available) and do a lot of walking/sightseeing on the first day. If you sleep during the day after you land, you’re only prolonging your pain. Fight through it and you’ll be better for it.

I’ve broken each area down by how many days I would spend there. Click each link for more detailed information. Note that I only accounted for 12 days – if you’re truly doing a 2 week vacation you will need some buffer time to book flights or spend extra time seeing things you like. Click on each for details.

• Sydney – 5 days
• Melbourne – 3 days
• Great Barrier Reef – 4+ days

Summertime - Day III

Curious Priscilla joins our dive

See Days I and II for the other parts of the sailing trip.

Our first dive when we woke up in the morning was in the same exact spot as the night dive from the day before, but it couldn't have been more different. We were swarmed with all kinds of fish. Flo picked up a few pieces of dead hard coral and started clicking them together. The next thing I know, this massive - I mean MASSIVE fish cruises into the middle of our group.  His name is Priscilla - yes his name.  Supposedly there used to be a pair of these Humphead wrasse, Elvis (male) and Priscilla (female).  When Elvis died, Priscilla switched sexes.

On our second dive I set a new personal depth record at 27 meters.  We dropped down a bunch of reef faces which felt like cliffs as you looked over the edge.  I had bought a few disposable underwater cameras for the trip but most of the pictures didn't come out well.  The one you see here was taken by Flo with a professional underwater camera.  As you get deeper bright colors fade out (I won't bore you with the science) and all you are left with is blue and green.  Professional units have a white balance setting that will color correct shots taken at different depths.  The next time I go diving I'm going to get one.  I have wasted over $100 on disposable cameras over the past few years and I'm guessing a good one will run about $500.

Great pic minus the finger

As we wrapped up the afternoon a bunch of us went snorkeling one last time and I got a highlight of the trip.  A Hawksbill turtle glided past me so I started to follow it.  The others weren't close so I waved them to come over.  We followed him for about 10 minutes and he didn't mind a bit.  I dove underneath him and really wanted to grab onto his shell for a ride (though I didn't).  I got one of the guys to take a picture of me but he put his finger partly over the lens.  I would've taken another one had I known before they were developed - another reason to get a real camera.  The turtle finally turned out to sea and we let him go.  We got back in the boat and headed back to Airlie Beach for one more night at Magnum's.

The entire group all met out for drinks with the crew later that night.  I had done five total dives so they gave me a t-shirt and DVD with all of the pics from the weekend.  I really hit it off with Kat (something about the British accent gets me - even Minnie Driver from Good Will Hunting).  We said our goodbyes to everyone and caught the ferry back to Hamilton Island in the morning.  It dropped us off right at the airport and we were back to Sydney.

Summertime passengers and crew back on shore

All in all, this was absolutely the best vacation I've taken as an adult.  From the drive and the surfing up the coast to Surfers Paradise to Hamilton Island and everything that we did on the boat, I really encourage everyone to #1 go to Australia and #2 book at LEAST a sailing trip on the Great Barrier Reef, if not the entire trip that Brian and I completed. Now it's back to the real world where I have 3 weeks of work left before I say goodbye to everyone and go home.

Summertime - Day II

See Days I and III for the other parts of the sailing trip.

After breakfast the next morning the crew unloaded the kayaks from the roof of the boat and we got to paddle around the shallows of Hook Island.  Our main focus was in a mangrove forest because that’s where the juvenile sharks feed.  Brian and I quietly paddled through the trees and roots along with the rest of the group.  After a while we saw 3 or 4 black tipped reef sharks, maybe 3 feet in length, darting in and out of the shallows.  We also saw a sea turtle a little further out but we didn’t get too close.

We went back to the boat and coasted around the edge of Hook Island to our first dive spot.  I went diving once in Cairns back in April, but the last time before that was in 2004.  I had some difficulty with the provided masks that time, so I brought my own on this trip.  I recommend that you bring your own if you snorkel and/or scuba dive.  It's an extra thing to pack but it can prevent a ruined dive if your mask won't stop leaking.

There were only a few certified divers which was nice because it wasn't too crowded.  The water was crystal clear and the colors in the reef were indescribable.  I have never seen so many fish - you will just have to see it for yourself.  My only regret is that I didn't see any sharks or turtles (while diving).  We ended up doing two dives and though I was nervous at first, I started to get comfortable in the water.  One thing about diving - the faster and deeper you breathe, the faster you use your air.  You can extend your dive by up to 15 minutes or more just by taking calm, measured breaths.  Certification classes teach you to not hold your breath because of the damage it can do to your lungs when changing depth.  Also, the dive depth also determines the dive time.  So our first dive only lasted about half an hour because I was the first one to run low on air.  The second dive lasted 7 minutes longer, with dives the next day going even longer.

Brian and a few others interested in diving were allowed to go down in an 'Intro to Diving' type course.  The crew gave them the basic instructions and they went down to depths that were safe even if you shot straight back up to the top.  Brian had difficulty the first time, but after some one on one instruction he got it down and had a blast.  In between dives we could jump off the boat and go swimming or just lay on the deck to rest and catch some sun.

We docked near Hayman Island and after dinner Flo convinced me to go on a night dive.  Everyone else was relaxing on the boat after dinner and we started gearing up.  Some of the procedures are different since it's pitch black in the water and the only light came from our two flashlights.  We tied glow sticks to our tanks and took the outboard boat to a spot fairly close to shore.  Going into the water was so different compared to day dives.  When you go under water it is always quiet - all you have to hear is your own breathing and the bubbles from your regulator.  When the water is pitch black it takes on a whole new level of silence.

I never thought about it before, but I guess that fish retreat to the coral during the night to sleep.  Every now and then we would see a head peek out from the reef or catch a glimpse of a tail fin at the edge of the flashlight beam, but for the most part the ocean was empty.  Flo went to a spot he frequented where a big grouper or cod (I don't remember) hunted at night.  If you shined your flashlight on a small fish the big guy was supposed to dart in and eat it.  Unfortunately we couldn't find him so the dive was mostly disappointing when it came to wildlife.  We did see a crab and a big lobster, but that was it.  I still enjoyed seeing the reef in a different way.

When I got back to the boat it looked like one of the other boats anchored about a quarter mile away from us.  You could tell it was one of the party boats that I mentioned in the last post but I don't remember its name.  We ended up sitting up on the deck and looking at the stars - I have never seen so many, even in the Kentucky countryside.  Cap'n Pete pointed out some of the constellations, including the Southern Cross (also, Orion is upside down below the equator).  There was no way to take a picture without some serious hardware, so you'll just have to believe that I saw the entire Milky Way across the sky.  I found this picture online which gives you an idea, but imagine that it stretches from east to west, all of the way across the sky above you.

Sleeping was pretty easy that night from all of the activity during the day.  We had one more day to get a few more dives in before it was time to go home.

Summertime

Airlie Beach was way smaller than Cairns and looked to be in existence solely as a launch off point for tourists to get to the reef. A friend in Sydney told me about a trip they took a few months before from Airlie. They stayed on a sailboat for a few days and had a great time. I planned this whole trip around doing something similar. I found a website that displays all of the boats, trip lengths and prices.

Note the start of a beard coming on

Brian and I stayed at a hostel called Magnum’s, the most popular hostel in Airlie Beach. It cost $20 and was set up differently than other hostels. There was a central restaurant with the bar, pool tables and travel offices clustered together. Our room was in a two story building with 2 rooms on each floor. There were 5 bunk beds per room, but plenty of room. We didn't really try to hang out with anyone in the room since we had to be up early the next morning.

When I started picking which boat we would take, I found that each had a specific reputation. Some are party boats for young people, others are for couples. Some are more focused around diving, others do the bare minimum. In general, cheaper trip lead to backpackers and young travelers joining you on the boat. I definitely wanted to do some diving and spend two days or more on the trip, so that narrowed down my options. I ended up choosing a boat called Summertime – it had snorkeling, diving and kayaking over 3 days.  It cost $515 per person and included a free dive (special offer at that time).

We got to the boat early on Thursday morning with 11 other people... an Australian couple and their Aussie and British friends, two other British couples, a Canadian couple and a solo guy from Poland. I was hoping for some young and single types, but it’s really the luck of the draw I guess. Everyone was really friendly and we got to know each other when the boat took off. Summertime was manned with three crew – Flo (short for Florian, the German dive master), Trish (Irish cook/second dive master), and Cap’n Pete (Kiwi boat captain).

View from a lookout just above Whitehaven Beach - amazing.

Our first stop was to Whitsunday Island and Whitehaven Beach, a place that is always on top 10 lists of the best beaches in the world. The sand is 98% silica and is so pure that NASA used it to make the lens for the Hubble Telescope. When I walked along the water’s edge, my feet sunk in almost like mud. The weather was a little overcast for the first few hours, but Brian and I made the most of it by slinging some Frisbee and kicking a soccer ball.

We put on stinger suits and got in the water to find a few sting rays swimming in the water. They swam away pretty quickly unless you went really slowly (and we made sure to stay out of the way of the stinger). We took a hike to the highest point in the island that overlooked the beach. It was one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen. Small islands dotted the blue water and the tide created swirls of white sand. The currents and tides made every day’s beach look different.

That afternoon we did some more sailing (although there was almost no wind which means we used the motor). A storm rolled in that evening which made it rough once we anchored. I had been popping sea sickness tablets since the day before, so I luckily didn’t get sick. The crew warned that they could make you dehydrated and drowsy, but it was worth the risk.  My bunk was near the bathrooms and it sounded like one of the other passengers wasn’t so lucky. I did wake up a few times during the night from the boat rocking back and forth.

See Days II and III for the other parts of the sailing trip.