Wednesday 8th July 2009 Location: Hamilton Island Weather: Blue skies with scattered clouds. 24°c Ooo the start of another exciting trip away today! We’re off to Cairns and then through to Lizard Island for our first diving experience on the Great Barrier Reef, and expectations are riding high. An early start, as ever, and another gorgeous sunrise – you’ll be sick of me saying this every morning so I’ll try and limit it to just a few a month I promise! I stayed up late last night trying to remember exactly what I’d forgotten to pack on the trip down to the Gold Coast so I wouldn’t do it again. Eventually I’ll get used to packing not just what I need for the trip in terms of personal effects but also my new mobile multimedia office too. I will be pushing baggage allowance limits across Queensland! Bre and I left the house after a light breakfast, closed up Blue Pearl for a few days and took the rubbish out to the wheelie bin – I have never seen Bre jump so much!!! Ha ha, my poor thing dropped the bag into the bin and THE most enormous spider scampered across the lid towards her….she ran into the road screaming, much to the amusement of the people on the golf buggy driving past. I did have a look after she’d calmed down and yes it was a big one. Something we’ll have to get used to out here I suppose. Off to the airport with the Beyond TV crew in tow (they really have got the best gig you know, following Bre and I to all of these exotic locations) and boarded my first Qantas flight north to Cairns. Just over an hour later we’d arrived, and stepping from the plane’s doors, I knew we’d moved a good distance towards the equator as the temperature was suddenly that much warmer – Bre was made up, I’ve never understood this Canadian and why she can’t handle the cold!?!? Jeff and Danielle were there to meet us, and once we’d collected our baggage from the carousel, made our way to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park for our first experience of indigenous ways and whys, a part of Australia which is very appealing to me after spending so much time in Africa learning about similar things. David Hudson and Ernest, the owner/managers of the Park have been at the helm for the last 26 years and they’ve created an oasis of arts, bushcraft and experiences all based around the ancient beliefs of Aborigines. The dancing and didgeridoo performances are exceptional. David has played and toured the world introducing the art form to thousands of people having released numerous albums, and I hope to be able to bring some of his music to you as soon as I can via one of my videos. You can’t come to somewhere like this without trying a bit’a bush-tucker and first on the menu were green ants – not something I’d think about having as a pre-lunch appetiser but David with his sense of humour decided I’d better try them – I thought to start off with he was winding me up. I grabbed the frisky little thing, avoiding its pincers, and raised its bulbous green abdomen to my mouth biting into the green flesh…and was pleasantly surprised – rather a limey sort of taste and a darn sight better than I’d been expecting. These have been used as a means of adding flavour to dishes and are still used today in some recipes; an interesting start to the tour. Onto hunting methods next – the spear and the boomerang, my favourite. My uncle gave me one of these years ago and ever since it’s adorned my wall at home, but I’ve never thrown it, so now was my chance to learn with the pros. In a wide-open area at the back of the park there’s a place set aside for just that…. amateurs like me to go wild with them. First we had a go at using the billet, a launching handle with a hook system which when fitted into a hollowed spear allows the spear to be launched with extreme accuracy and speed towards the potential prey…in the right hands of course. My first efforts left a lot to be desired but as I practiced it became of whole load easier until I actually hit where I aimed for! The boomerang is another hunting tool, and although the ones we practiced with were more for display purposes, they actually do head back to where they’re thrown from, at least when the professionals do it. After a few attempts throwing into the wind Bre and I became much better and even ended up catching a couple of the ones we’d thrown. After a good filling lunch from the amazing range on show (you have to try the pork belly and the desserts) we were off again on the high speed tour and headed straight back to the airport and the offices of Hinterland Aviation where we’d be catching our next flight to the stunning location of Lizard Island. Making our way across the runway we boarded the small plane, dropping our luggage at the rear and strapping ourselves into the comfy leather seats. I’d been told this would be an amazing flight across the Great Barrier Reef but nothing could prepare me for the palette of colours laid out below as we left the coastline and headed out across the bright blue waters of the Pacific towards our destination. The coral reefs, sand bars and islands below all had gentle waters lapping at their edges giving a realistic edge to an unrealistically picturesque seascape; could it really be this beautiful? Each land mass looked like something different, almost as clouds do but more real – sometimes like a meteor crashing into the earth’s atmosphere or a ostrich’s heads craning upwards, and was that a fish with a long stretched body? It was easy to see from here, and I’d never really thought about it before, but the Great Barrier Reef is literally a huge barrier protecting the Queensland coastline from the power of the Pacific Ocean, holding back the swells leaving a calm protected area where life can thrive and a unique ecosystem can build. Our pilot announced we’d be making our descent very soon and Lizard Island came into view for the first time, the islands having suddenly taken on a new form, much taller, more rocky formations appeared making it easy to see why Captain Cook had chosen this location back in 1770 to view the surrounding reef in order to find a safe passage. As we touched down gracefully, and taxied to the smallest airport I’ve ever been to, the excitement was building – the opportunity to view one of the wonders of my world was drawing ever closer. Voyages Lizard Island was to be our base for the next few nights, and as we met our hosts Simon and Wendy, we knew we were in for something pretty special and out of the ordinary – with an establishment like this its reputation precedes it and understandably so. Laid out overlooking Anchor Bay, the main dining area looks too good to touch and eat at, the garden fringed with palms and ferns spill down to the soft sand and the hugely exclusive rooms look out over the crystal clear ocean towards Sunset Beach, aptly named for an engagement later this week! Our room’s called The Pavilion, situated on the rocky headland poking out between the two bays with a elegant deck leading into the most picturesque infinity pool I’ve ever seen. Just to top it all off there’s a king sized lounge bed a few feet down the rocks from which to watch the sunset. I believe it’s this exact spot that actress Kate Hudson described as “the most romantic place in the world” and I can totally understand why – this is THE place to watch the sunset into the ocean. End of day location: Lizard Island Distance travelled: 700kms Thursday 9th July 2009 Location: Lizard Island Weather: Clear blue skies with gathering clouds and a brisk wind, 28°c The alarm finally woke me from my slumber at 6am, just in time for sunrise on the start of the day we’d been eagerly waiting for…..we’re going diving on the Great Barrier Reef! In order to give us the energy and stamina we’d need for a few hours under water, breakfast was an essential. We made our way to the dining area overlooking Anchor Bay and tucked into another magnificent meal…was it really that necessary though after the complete feast we’d enjoyed the night before?!? Oh well, keep eating for now, although I do need to do some serious exercise very soon or I’ll turn in one of the migrating whales we’re trying to spot. Heading down to the watersports centre, positioned perfectly on the edge of Anchor Bay, Bre and I were fitted out with our dive kit for the day by Damian, whom we’d met at dinner the night before and who would be our Dive Master for the day. We all made our way to the beach and the waiting dinghy, which ferried us out to Fascination, our dive boat. Now the usual Lizard Resort dive boat is currently away having its annual inspection but its replacement is nothing short of the perfect sports fishing boat; luxurious, stable and clean as a whistle, boasting the most modern technology up on the flybridge – and I love my gadgets. We sped out of the bay and into the open water between Lizard and the outer reef which gives way to the Coral Sea, and the edge of the continental shelf dropping away to some 2000m. This really is the edge of the world as we know it, everything this side is within diving distance, everything the other side survives under extreme conditions and pressures. The high tide allows swell to pass over the reef so after an exciting ride which saw some of my fellow passengers (naming no names Bre!) feeling a little under the weather, the relief of a protected mooring was welcomed. Having familiarised ourselves with the dive kit back on the beach we donned our gear and dropped into the water at our first site of the day – No Name Reef. It was great to get back in the water and to be doing it in 26°c water rather than the 13°c I’d had three weeks prior to today back in Cornwall, South West England – rather a character building exercise. Once under the water the procedures and feeling of breathing in this incredible environment became easy again, having Bre there to experience it with me is a superb thing, we’ve done so much together since meeting last March and this is another one of those to go in the memory book. As we dropped down the anchor line, the clarity and visibility was estimated at about 12m (which was later confirmed). An awesome seabed lay below us, with cream coloured coral as far as the eye could see, not a sign of bleaching but instead a well established eco-system with a natural turn-over; older coral slowly dying off and falling away and giving way to fresher looking, more colourful replacement, which we’d come to expect of somewhere as famous as this. Hard coral diversity is high here, with many smaller colonies striving to fight their way out from under the larger, faster growing species, offering a view of different levels of establishment. The variety of marine life here really is something to be treasured and visited if ever you can. I can honestly say that I’ve never seen quite such a large number of different diverse species all during a single dive – the marine life is epic. From barracuda to lion-fish, wrasse to parrotfish, the list just goes on and on. By the end of this incredible six months it’s my plan to be able to recognise everything I see, but at the moment there’s just too much to comprehend. I grew more comfortable with my diving adventure; a good fitting reliable regulator, water-tight mask and clearly readable computer all help, and I ended the dive twisting and turning in clear, warm waters like a fish. Well you know what my application video said, “I’m practically a fish myself!” Then as quickly as it had started it was all over again, pressure in the tank was down and so was my core temperature. Back onto the boat for a spot of lunch, sorry… more a feast with prawns, hams, quiches, and salads, as well as a time for Damian to give a quick talk about our next dive and the one we’d been waiting for…. The ‘famous’ Cod Hole. Large Potato Cod frequent this area, number 10 on Ribbon Reef, and since the 1980’s divers have come from far and wide to hand feed the fish which can weigh up to 150kgs. As we descended to the light blue sandy floor below one or two were there to greet us. Damian appearing all the more attractive to them as he had his white bucket filled with fish by his side – a sight which would guarantee them a meal or two. The cod are huge and pure muscle, as they swim close to you and turn away suddenly you can really feel the power in their bodies and an effortless flick of the tail delivers quite a shockwave through the water. The cod have suffered in the past for too much human interaction with very unnatural foods being fed to them, leading to cankers and skin disease becoming evident. Today however, only those with a Marine Park permit can feed them and only with certain foods. Thanks to these regulations, the population appears to be improving. As Damian fed the beasts and they cruised past we had a chance to run our hands down their flanks feeling their muscled bodies first hand – these chaps are properly chunky! As the cod became less hungry their interest waned which gave us a chance to head off and see what other delights the reef had to offer and within seconds we’d spotted our first shark of the day and my first one whilst underwater scuba diving ever!! Excellent, a Blacktip reef shark and although only a small one it was big enough to have a hand off had it wanted a slice of Pommie flesh. I’ve been using my new underwater video camera during the dives, and trying to get used to that whilst watching the marine life as much as possible, which means that, at some stage, I will get a video and a few photos of the experience up on line for you all to see so you can share the adventure with me. This new reef also brought new life and creatures along with it, sea cucumbers, feather stars, giant clams big enough to trap a small person and some flutemouths – very odd looking fish which closely resemble the pipefish I’d seen a few weeks ago back in the U.K. Being able to fly over the coral and reef in total control of my flotation just using my breathing and the amount of air in my body felt amazingly good and I really felt as though this was turning into my best dive ever; yes this being only number 13 doesn’t give me much experience but you have to set a benchmark somewhere and this will have to be it. Once we’d returned to the surface our trip back to Lizard was much easier for those with travel sickness problems – no sign of the greens this time round. We had a chance to view Lizard from a different angle and it was from the westerly side, you could see what an attractive option it must have been for Captain Cook as has cruised down the outer reef looking for a safe haven. In fact if I’d have been stuck on his boat for months on end then mutiny would probably have been on my mind too having spotted this little oasis! As the crew grabbed hold of our mooring now back in the shelter of Anchor Bay, we were greeted by the locals – of the underwater variety! Two Tawny Nurse Sharks and two huge Grouper were right underneath the stern of the boat obviously expecting some free handouts. Around a dozen Blacktips were also there to add to the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ feel as Paul the skipper dangled a fish skeleton enticingly over the stern board for them to see. The Nurse sharks were the most keen but with plates instead of defined teeth and jaws all they could do was to suck the juices from the tasty morsel…as the huge Grouper swung around for another look he cruised just under the surface until….BOOM! With a move as quick as an Osprey he’d grabbed his lunch from Paul’s grasp leaving nothing but gasps from us all. It’s all in the timing apparently, that’s why Paul has all of his fingers left to prove it! Totally-mind-blowingly-good, that’s how it felt to have got under the water and into my career as a Barrier Reef diver. My expectations were high but it really did deliver and I’m now scouting the schedule to find out when I can get under water again, I just hope its really soon as the appetite for more is insatiable! Bre and I sat on our balcony and watched the sun set into the ocean before making our way back to the Ospreys Restaurant for another chapter of ‘How To Dine Like A King;’ something I’m looking forward to reading in its entirety over the next few months. The food we’ve been lucky enough to sample here is more akin to something you’d create as an artist, the presentation of each and every dish leaves you feeling as though you shouldn’t stab it with a fork or cut with a knife as the chef may consider it rude! But tuck in I do…clearing the plate is never a problem for me as I love my food but to have my taste-buds so eloquently tantalised on a thrice daily basis is heaven on earth. Hats off to all the kitchen and waiting staff here for the ultimate of dining experiences. End of day location: Lizard Island Distance travelled: 52kms Friday 10th July 2009 Location: Lizard Island Weather: Clear blue skies with light cloud and a dying wind, 28°c I’ve been putting together, or at least trying to find the time to put together, a video of the last few days activities and key to my experience on Lizard Island has been the incredible sunset into the ocean. I’ve tried to capture it on video while watching it slip slowly into the ocean last night. To contrast this I was up before the sun dragged itself out of bed this morning in an attempt to film sunrise and add it to the movie so when the alarm rang out at 5.50am I was up like a shot and onto the balcony to set the camera to record. No point in getting up this early and wasting the day so I headed to the small but perfectly formed gym here at the resort and thrashed out a battle with the machines there all in the name of egging on England in the cricket…. Fat lot of good that’ll do! After a scrumptious culinary feast, Bre and I wandered across the white sands to the watersports centre where our dinghy was awaiting us, we’d planned a morning of exploring some of the other beaches and coves the island has to offer and left with our cameras, towels, snorkelling kit and a delicious gourmet hamper. I cranked the 6hp outboard into life and steered our little aluminium craft west around the island, passing Sunset, Pebble and Hibiscus Beach before arriving at Turtle Beach where we hoped to spot some of our special underwater friends. The wind was still up and the chop on the surface of the water had stirred up the sandy bottom meaning that the visibility was markedly reduced and we struggled to get any sightings or decent footage for the first hour of the trip. Oh well – the good thing about living on an island is the fact that there’s always somewhere on the coastline that’s protected from the wind, so we turned back east and made for Watson’s Beach, the site of the infamous Clam Garden. This place is one of the many snorkelling attractions on Lizard with a huge collection of Giant Clams, some 100 years old, weighing 150kgs and measuring nearly 4 feet across – a definite one on the tick list. As you arrive in the bay the usual aqua blue of the ocean turns temporarily dark as you approach the marker buoys determining the edge of the protection zone around the outside of Clam Garden. The enforcement of such sites is essential to protect the areas from the inevitable dragging anchors of the many yachts and dive boats, which visit here throughout the season. A 20 metre exclusion zone ensures the site stays in exactly the same condition it’s found in and when you get under the water, you can understand why – it’s a veritable oasis of life, resembling that of an English country garden in full bloom with the coral formations so lush and full they could be perfectly preened shrubs and borders. On first inspection the only clams we found were small 20cms ones all nestled together at different sites around the outer perimeter of the garden but as we swam towards the centre singular larger clams started to appear, each displaying vivid purple and green spotted fleshy, muscular lips with bright white vents each end pumping and sifting the water for food. These things are huge, they almost appear to be too big to survive on just what they pump through their systems and you can understand why legend has it that they clamp shut on unwary swimmers and divers – they look like they should be highly carnivorous! Throughout the garden there must be a hundred of these monsters keeping a watchful eye on the ocean, there’s also some evidence of the disastrous infection which killed off 40% of the clam population here a number of years back…luckily the population is right back up there again and the old shells even add to the mystery of the place. It would be a disaster to think of somewhere like this ever changing and I sincerely hope that the island stays exactly as it is now; a national park and a national treasure. Just when I thought the evening meals couldn’t get better, Bre and I arrived at dinner and were escorted away from the usual dining area to down a sandy track towards the sound of the ocean…our final evening meal would be taken under a picturesque gazebo on the sand, at the water’s edge, with personalised menus just for us. We really have had a perfect few days here and feel hugely humbled by the experience; from the divine Pavilion to the spectacular reef and some of the friendliest staff we have experienced. Lizard Island is a ‘must do’…not a ‘think about’ or a ‘maybe next time’ – save the funds and treat yourself, it’s well worth the wait. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen, and to Wendy and Simon our most hospitable hosts. End of day location: Lizard Island Distance travelled: 12kms