Went Snorkeling

We went out to the reef to do some snorkeling with some people we met on the island: Jeremy, Gia, Budi, and Eko.


Gia taking her first jump in.


Jeremy taking it to the bottom.


Self-portrait from just beneath the surface of the water.


Budi hanging out on the boat...he was kinda scared.


Camille took this one of Eko, me, Gia, and Jeremy from the boat.


Budi finally got in the water, but I think it was a little cold for his taste...though I thought it was warm.


I love the way this photo of Jeremy came out.


The bulbous, smoothing looking coral was huge. It is hard to tell in the photo but it was bigger than a person with outstretched arms and legs.


...between two worlds.


I think this photo was of Eko exploring the reef.


Gia swimming in place...if you could have only seen...



She used the lifejacket to float on the surface and look at everything from above.


I hate when my thumb gets in the photos!


As you can see behind me, this was a pretty popular diving spot.



This was my attempt to get a shot with both above water and underwater images.





We brought bags with bread with us to toss about a bit so that the fish would come close. What resulted was hundreds of colorful fish nibbling on our toes!



The departure and return.



Seaweed, coral, and fish.



It may seem like it was dark from some of these photos, but I assure you, the water was very clear, albeit it was a little muggy from the morning rain.




Some shots of my underwater ballet.


Gia on the way back to the boat.


Me throwing out some left over bread.



This is one of the boat drivers who decided to take a swim around.


Me by that huge piece of coral I mentioned before.


Budi decided to get in the water one last time before we left.


Getting ready to leave.



Jeremy and I decided to swim under the glass-bottom part of the boat.



We found a deep area with no coral and took some jumps off the boat.


And they finally able to drag us out of the water to head back inland.


Jeremy had a Super8 camera and was shooting some 8mm footage.


Looking down on some coral from the boat.

All in all, it was super fun and we got to see a TON of fish. No sharks this time...maybe next time! I definitely plan on doing this a lot more.

Eby's Favorite Island Things

Today’s segment was, unfortunately, ripped off by Oprah (or is it the other way around?). It is called Eby’s Favorite Island Things. While the audience (you) will not be getting these complimentary gifts (sorry, Oprah has a bigger budget than us), you will get some insight into the great things I enjoy here on the islands. These are the 10 things for this week:

1)Seashells!

Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed finding seashells. Unfortunately, the beaches I always had access to were so overpopulated with people that it was hard to find the good ones before they were scooped up by the older folk during their walks at dawn. Here, I don’t have to worry about that too much and get to find some of the best shells. If you come here, make sure you tell me so I can warn you where my shell turf is! ;)

2) Seen from space

The fact that the Great Barrier Reef is underwater and can still be seen from space is a testament to its size and show the scale of importance it has in Oceania. Does this make me an ambassador to space aliens?

3) Island Bar (Hamilton Island)

Yes, this is a bar in a pool. Click here to see it virtually!

4) Sea Turtles

There are actually 6 species of sea turtles that breed in the area: the leatherback, the hawksbill, the loggerhead, the green sea turtle, the flatback , and the olive ridley. I have always been a huge fan of sea turtles and am lucky to have seen 3 of these species. I am hoping to find the other 3 before I leave!

5)Helicopter Rides

There is nothing like a view of the islands and the reefs than seeing them from above. It defeintely puts things in perspective. You could dive deep below or bushwalk the islands, but you are always in the moment there. The aerial views make you step back and see the big picture.

6) Heart-shaped Reef

How cute is this reef? It is almost an icon of the reef. Peace and love!

7) Dent Island Lighthouse

Who doesn’t like lighthouses?! This one is great and is 130 years old.

8) Qualia’s Infinity Edge Pool

Look at that! Tell me it wouldn’t be one of your favorite things! The view is amazing and the water temperature is always spot on.

9) Camping

With such great weather here on the islands, sometimes we just decided to forego the house and camp out in the bush. I love the smell of a camp fire before bed and waking up to the sound of birds surrounding us. It is magical.

10) Snorkling

So much of the water in the Whitsundays is so clear that you can pretty much just look down from land and see so much, but there is nothing like getting in the water and exploring a bit further. The deeper it gets the harder it is to see, plus it can get cloudy after a rain too, obviously. Snorkling is always a good time here.

Well, that is it for this segment of Eby’s Favorite Island things. Until next time…