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Kayaking and lots of fish -- but not together

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  • Kayaking and lots of fish -- but not together

    Sorry for the cryptic title. Three weeks ago, I got a phone call asking me if I could fly to Brisbane, Australia on short notice to speak at an international natural gas symposium. My schedule was clear, so I agreed. I left home last Sunday and spent 34 hours door-to-door getting to Brisbane. I arrived on Tues morning, gave my speech on Thursday, and now have Fri, Sat, and Sun to play.

    Today I took a ferry to Moreton Island, about 90 minutes away from Brisbane by ferry. The boat docked at Tangalooma resort. My tour package allowed me to select a variety of water-related activities. During the morning I took a guided snorkel tour to see 12 ships that had been intentionally sunk in shallow water to create a breakwater and a natural reef. The tour did not last long, but it whetted my appetite for more. After lunch, I rented a generic sit-on-top kayak and paddled a mile back to the ships. I beached the kayak and snorkled for 90 minutes until my legs were ready to cramp up. The water temperature was in the low 70s. That is too cold for most Australians, so they provided wetsuits for all the snorkelers. I chose a shorty and was comfortable. The visibility ranged from 5-10 feet depending on the specific location.

    There were many different species of reef-type fish. They were pretty tame. Occasionally, I turned around and found dozens of fish that seemed to be following me (no not big ones looking for a meal, but curious smaller fish). Although I never attempted to catch any of them, I feel like I spent a lot of time in the fish world (and I thoroughly enjoyed it).

    My most memorable sights today were: a) a wobbegong shark of about 5 ft. These are docile fish that are heavily camouflaged and live on the bottom; b) a huge ray that had a slender whip-like tail that seemed to be longer than I am tall; c) as I was kayaking back to the resort after snorkeling a large sea turtle raised its softball-sized head out of the water twice to check me our before submerging; and d) a dugong -- a marine mammal much like the manatee.

    So the story does include both kayaking and lots of fish. I am tired and stiff sitting in my hotel room writing this story and drinking a bottle of beer I bought at the local package store (note - beer is grotesquely expensive here -- a six-pack of regular beer is often $15 or more).
    Attached Files
    John Veil
    Annapolis
    Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

    Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

  • #2
    Cool trip.

    That sounds like a cool trip. It reminds me of when I went to the Big Island of Hawaii. Thanks for sharing your story and pictures.

    13

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    • #3
      cool John,34 hours ugh

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      • #4
        Sounds like a really cool trip. The pic of the ships looks like something out of a steampunk comic book.

        34hrs? Couldn't you have just stayed in the air at one place an let Australia come to you in less time?
        Yellow Hobie Revo Rube Goldberg
        Yellow Tarpon 120

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        • #5
          Originally posted by ictalurus View Post
          Sounds like a really cool trip. The pic of the ships looks like something out of a steampunk comic book.

          34hrs? Couldn't you have just stayed in the air at one place an let Australia come to you in less time?
          The trip involved three flights: a) BWI to Dallas/Ft Worth (3 hours); b) DFW to Los Angeles (3.5 hrs), and c) LAX to Brisbane (15 hours). Add airport waiting and connection time plus airport transfers and it adds up. I am almost acclimated to Australian time -- I leave for home in the morning and will face a new round of jet lag there.
          John Veil
          Annapolis
          Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

          Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

          Comment


          • #6
            Today's adventure involved riding a bus 2.5 hours north to Noosa. No fishing was involved today either. I walked nearly 10 miles through a national park on the oceanfront. Part way through the hike, I came to an elevated point called Hells Gate. Looking south from there was the gorgeous mile-long Alexandria Beach -- one of the nicest I have ever seen.

            A woman at the information desk had told me that there was a nude beach there. I decided to walk down to the beach and see what sights might appear. I was delighted when as I approached the beach I saw two nice gals coming my way without tops. As I continued down the beach for the next 20 minutes, my exuberance turned to disappointment -- almost everyone else on the nude beach was a middle aged guy -- I saw far more body parts than I cared to. It was about 90 deg and midday when I was there. My Maryland skin has lost most of its tan for the year -- I had to be cautious about staying out too long on the beach.

            After hiking up away from the beach, I encountered a nearly-3 foot long lizard on a narrow trail. I'm glad he was afraid of me and moved off.
            Attached Files
            John Veil
            Annapolis
            Native Watercraft Manta Ray 11, Falcon 11

            Author - "Fishing in the Comfort Zone" , "Fishing Road Trip - 2019", "My Fishing Life: Two Years to Remember", and "The Way I Like to Fish -- A Kayak Angler's Guide to Shallow Water, Light Tackle Fishing"

            Comment


            • #7
              Sweet trip John! The Down under is definitely on my list of vacation destinations! No underwater shots? I bet it looked incredible down there... sorry to hear about the nude beach ordeal, but at least it wasn't all bad, LOL.

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              • #8
                What an awesome trip! Thanks for the tales of your adventures.

                If you watch enough Discovery channel it seems like everything in that country will either bite, claw, sting, or poison you to death in minutes. Glad you made it through your trip unscathed, ha ha.

                Beautiful pics, too.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by ictalurus View Post
                  Sounds like a really cool trip. The pic of the ships looks like something out of a steampunk comic book.
                  I was thinking that, too. Like Waterworld.

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                  • #10
                    Looks like a great place. I want a job that can take me to Australia.

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