A trip the Fitzroy Island in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia
As much as we enjoy New Zealand, too much of anything can get old. So when my mother suggested a trip to the Australian Great Barrier Reef, we readily agreed.
Australia is New Zealand’s nearest neighbor, and their friendly relations are maintained like all genial neighbors by a suitable barrier between them. In the case of these two land masses, that wall is the 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) of the Tasman Sea.
As an intrepid Kiwi proved, that is a bit far to swim but not too far to paddle. In 2018, Scott Donaldson paddled a kayak for 62 days. He covered over 2,200 km (1,370 miles) on a solo journey from Coffs Harbor, Australia, to Taranaki on the North Island of New Zealand. But, as we left the South Island, we opted to fly.
So on a grey day, we arrived in Cairns, Australia, the last large city on the north end of the eastern coast of Australia. Located within the tropical zone, it was warm and sticky when we arrived. Despite the appeal of the city, Cairns was not our destination. Heidi and I had visited Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef two decades earlier. One thing I took away from that brief sojourn was that if we ever returned, we wanted to stay on Fitzroy Island.
Fitzroy Island is a 45 min ferry ride east of Cairns and in the heart of the great barrier reef. I WANTED TO GO once I learned you could stay on this island and swim in the warm reef waters from just outside your room. So when my mother suggested visiting the Great Barrier Reef, I told her I knew the exact place. A few web pages were shared over the internet, and she agreed this would be the return to the Barrier Reef she was looking for.
Australia greeted us with rain as we water taxied out to the island. The rain shouldn’t have been a surprise as Cairns is located on the edge of the Daintree Rainforest. Although this may not be the largest rainforest in the world, it holds an even more unique distinction. It is rumored that proto-angiosperms — the prehistoric precursors to all modern flowering plants — live in the forest. The exact location of this grove of plants dating back to the time of the dinosaurs is kept secret to protect them from gawkers and thieves. That may just be an internet rumor, but it’s a pretty weird one that would only appeal to botany nerds — so, honestly, why would anyone go to the trouble to make it up?
The resort has everything you expect; a swimming pool with a swim-up bar, fine dining in the restaurant, and more casual dinner and drinks at the open-air beach bar. It’s a very comfortable resort, but we didn’t come for the comforts; we came to swim in the Great Barrier Reef.
We are no longer in New Zealand, a land devoid of snakes, poisonous plants, and dangerous animals. Instead, we are now in Australia, where seemingly everything is out to kill you. In Australia, they take deadly wildlife to the extreme. The sharks are great white, and the crocodiles are saltwater (“salties”) that can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh more than 2000 pounds. A famous example of this species named “Sweat Heart’ was known for chomping through the hull of metal boats to get at the good bits inside.
As horrific as the large animals can be, the little things you don’t see can be the most dangerous. On land, that can be a tiny spider that, in a fantastic display of over-exuberance, nature gifted with enough venom to bring down a horse. In the ocean, it is the box jellyfish. This small and innocuous-looking glob of floating goo has a sting that ranges from blindingly painful on the lucky side too causing paralysis and even death in humans.
Because these mindless killing machines were floating around the Great Barrier Reef, we had to wear a spandex suit covering us from head to toe and even mittens to protect our hands and fingers. With a mask and snorkel in place, we were nearly wholly covered. I looked like one of those sad, overweight middle-aged guys who dressed up like X-Men and tried to get tourists to pay to take their picture with him.
If that wasn’t enough, stations around the island were stocked with vinegar to pour over any stings and neutralize them. Those stations were reassuring but a constant reminder that the things that live in Australian waters are out to get us.
Despite our unflattering beachwear, we entered the ocean confident that we didn’t look any dorkier than everyone else on the beach. Once in the water, we were too distracted to worry about our wardrobe. Instead, we were mesmerized by all the colors.
I have dived in the Caribbean on many occasions and in multiple locations. Still, I haven’t seen anything as breathtaking as what we found just off the beach of Fitzroy Island.
The color and variety of coral were unmatched in my experience. They range in shapes from flat leaves that looked look dinner wear messily stacked by a hurried teenager to long spindly, branching figures like the stems of a tree or the horns of an animal. Some swayed in the ocean current like oversized leaves in a slow wind, while others stood ramrod straight and unmoved.
What did move were all the fish, from tiny little minnow size guys who followed us around and hung out in our shadows to larger fish, including sharks. Fortunately, the sharks were not Great White and seemed as interested in keeping their distance from us as we felt like keeping our distance from them.
It is hard to explain the profusion of shapes and colors we witnessed. So I will just let you look at the photos and judge for yourself.
I did find an awesome-looking shell within easy diving range. I was briefly tempted to snorkel down and retrieve it like I have done with conch shells in the Caribbean. Then I remembered the warning from the dive master about mollusks on the Great Barrier Reef. He told us that the animals within the shell have a single “tooth” that they use to inject a powerful neurotoxin. The toxin is potent enough to paralyze and kill an adult human. The tooth can reach any part of the shell, so there is no safe way to retrieve one of these innocuous-looking creatures. I let the shell be.
One of the highlights for me was seeing giant clams. Until I visited the Barrier Reef, I had only seen these in movies, but we found so many. Not only are they remarkable in themselves, but they have the most amazing iridescent coloring. It’s like you are looking at them under a black light. And if you feel brave like I did, you can swim down and tap one to see it snap closed.
The most magical part happened on our last snorkel of the trip. I was swimming next to Delaney when she signaled for my attention and then pointed to a sea turtle lazily swimming by. We followed the guy for a while as he floated down to take a bit out of a sea anemone and then surfaced for air.
Those turtles make swimming look so effortless, but keeping up with this guy once he got moving proved to be a workout for us mere humans. So we said goodbye as he entered deeper water and disappeared from view.
Despite the frightening profusion of dangerous creatures, both large and small, that inhabit the Great Barrier Reef, I can’t recommend it enough. I’ve seen more in just one dive here than in any other place I have ever been. Just remember to wear a protective suit and not to touch anything.
Fitzroy Island is easily reachable by water taxi from Cairns Harbor. You can visit for the day or stay at the Fitzroy Island Resort. Either way, I highly recommend it.
