dunk island to cairns

Writing this post has highlighted what a mixed bag of weather we are having this season. We are still having very strong SE trade winds, the skies are peppered with scattered showers and occasionally we are treated to a calm patch of reef weather. 

Clear skies and on our own. You can just see the yachts at the nearby Beaver Reef – Antidote and Ridgee Didge.

We have visited Beaver Reef many times so we were happy to spend our few days at Taylor Reef with more anchor room and an easily accessible sand cay. And we had it all to ourselves initially.

My first Nudi for the season!

This is a Ardeadoris Egretta Nudibranch … and no, I do not know all their names. There are over 3,000 species of Nudibranchs.  Arghhh. So, if I want to ID them I use my new Nudibranch and Sea Slug book and Google ID if needed. But some do have nick names so with its striking white mantle, orange frill and feathery cluster of gills (plume) at the rear, which resembles plumes from an Egret (hence its Egretta name), this nudi is also known as a White Sea Goddess.

Remember, the name Nudibranch means “naked gills”, which is referring to the respiratory structures on their backs. There are basically two types of nudis, the ones with plumes (gills) and the ones without plumes, their gills being the tentacle-like extensions covering their whole back. So while nudis are known for their vibrant colours, this White Sea Goddess was still a find and it’s only the second nudi I’ve ever spotted with a plume and I only spotted this one while photographing something else.

Here’s a few more photos in a slideshow …

While the snorkeling is probably not as varied and impressive as Beaver, it certainly entertained me. The water was crystal clear and not too deep which helped as the low tides were not in the middle of the day.

This might be timely to mention some thoughts on snorkeling. I’ve often been caught up in a tourist boat of snorkelers, particularly around the Whitsundays and what always astounds me is how quickly they pass by. On land, we are always rushing. Underwater, we don’t need to rush. It’s quiet. Enjoy the moments the sea gives us. Take our time, look around, take in the detail, look for the small things, the camouflaged critters and the fish behaviors, and swim slowly. We then might not miss what is hiding in plain sight. 

Having said that, and it is definitely my mantra (just ask the Captain who patiently sits there on watch in our tender), as I’ve already said, I’ve only spotted one nudi this season. But I did spot my octopus at Lady Musgrave!!

The Sea Fans were beautiful, even a friendly Coral Trout (a Green Zone here so no fishing) and did you spot the Sailor’s Eyeball? I first discovered these last season, same time, same place. It’s actually a Bubble Algae, one of the largest single-celled organism on earth … if you’re interested!

It was also very social at Taylor with a few more yachts joining us the following day. Sundowners on the cay.  Love it!

my lucky shot …

I did see quite a few Anemonefish families at Taylor. 

When the wind blows we make firm decisions, when to leave, where to anchor and how long to stay. When it’s calmer, we seem to dither as there’s too many choices. So after numerous conversations with other boats and everyone changing their minds several times, we all left Taylor Reef at similar times and all for different anchorages, before catching up again at Fitzroy Island.

We always enjoy a few nights at Fitzroy Island. We dropped anchor in our favourite spot in front of Foxey’s Bar where we enjoyed a catch up at sunset with Ridgee Didge, Antidote and Cat Magic.

We are currently in the Yorkey’s Knob Marina near Cairns for at least a week, catching up with friends (thank you Leanne and Steve for the use of your car) and there’s always boat jobs to do! It’s timely as the wind is blowing hard outside … again.