Glenn@home
03-12-03, 11:31
Hi all
Just back from Oz. After asking questions of some of you earlier this year Emma and I managed to grab some snorkelling on the GBR. It was Emmas first time snorkelling and despite some initial fears, like when she found out there may be sharks in there, and she couldnt touch the bottom, she took to it like a fish to water.
We drove up from Brisbane to Rockhampton then a little further north to Yepoon. A quick boat ride out to Great Keppel Island and then we walked of the beach into clear warm seas to snorkel on the reef for the first time ever.
It may not have been the biggest part of the GBR or the best but we enjoyed it immensley. The reef was composed mainly of acropora and millepora, well at least thats what i think they were. We saw some huge sarcophyton (i think?) and loads of fish. i was suprised to not to see many urchins, starfish but the colopurs size and growth patterns of the hard corals was impressive. Saw a sea slug too, waiting for the piccies to be developed andhope that one or two will provide images i can recognise, never tried taking pickies underwater before!!
Highlight for me were a couple of carpets sharks the biggest around 5 foot long, a small grey nurse shark, barracuda, loads of butterfly fish of one sort or another, huge puffers, schools of surgeon fish, etc, etc.
All i hope now is that the people whoi invited me out there ask me to go back so i can goo again!!
Cheers all
Glenn
Just back from Oz. After asking questions of some of you earlier this year Emma and I managed to grab some snorkelling on the GBR. It was Emmas first time snorkelling and despite some initial fears, like when she found out there may be sharks in there, and she couldnt touch the bottom, she took to it like a fish to water.
We drove up from Brisbane to Rockhampton then a little further north to Yepoon. A quick boat ride out to Great Keppel Island and then we walked of the beach into clear warm seas to snorkel on the reef for the first time ever.
It may not have been the biggest part of the GBR or the best but we enjoyed it immensley. The reef was composed mainly of acropora and millepora, well at least thats what i think they were. We saw some huge sarcophyton (i think?) and loads of fish. i was suprised to not to see many urchins, starfish but the colopurs size and growth patterns of the hard corals was impressive. Saw a sea slug too, waiting for the piccies to be developed andhope that one or two will provide images i can recognise, never tried taking pickies underwater before!!
Highlight for me were a couple of carpets sharks the biggest around 5 foot long, a small grey nurse shark, barracuda, loads of butterfly fish of one sort or another, huge puffers, schools of surgeon fish, etc, etc.
All i hope now is that the people whoi invited me out there ask me to go back so i can goo again!!
Cheers all
Glenn