Pictures Of The Great Barrier Reef

Roadrunners Down Under: The Australia Chronicles (Day 5)

Breakfast came early and much cheaper (free for all hotel guests) this morning. After filling up on a huge spread of eggs, bacon (Australians like it much rarer than Americans), hash browns, Danishes, croissants (a huge hit among the players) and waffles, the group made the short trek from the Shangri-La Hotel to the marina to catch our boat out to the Great Barrier Reef. There were probably seven or eight large ocean cruisers docked at the pier, all awaiting passengers headed for the reef. When we found our vessel, we all had to stop and pose for a quick photo with the Ocean Spirit's symbolic life ring. After a short delay while waiting on a delayed tour bus to drop off some of our boat's manifest, we were on our way out of Trinity Bay in Cairns and into the Coral Sea. The ride out to the reef was fabulous. It was a little windy, but the water was not very choppy and the group of us taking in the sights from the front deck were only splashed a few times. Local expert Jeromie Hill informed us (remember, he did work on one of these boats before) that it would take about two hours to get out to our destination, that it would be on us before we knew it and it would be full of birds. He was right on all accounts. Our destination was Michaelmas Cay, which is located 40 kilometers (about 24 miles) east-northeast of Cairns. It is actually a reef sand island surrounded by coral gardens, which is evident upon arrival. Besides the deep blue and aqua waters, the first thing we noticed was the thousands of birds on the island. Turns out the cay is a protected sanctuary that hosts more than 20,000 migratory seabirds, and if any of us were to dare step past the roped-off section of beach, we would be subject to a $20,000 (AUD) fine. That would be quite an expensive trip to the reef. Turns out our trip, which has a going rate of $195 per adult, was covered by the Basketball Travelers group that arranged our Australian tour. Our guide, Stephen Blackley, has been an outstanding host. He has coordinated nearly every part of the trip and no one has been disappointed so far. It's actually been quite the opposite … amazing, in fact, and we're only halfway through! The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms, as it is composed of billions of tiny organisms called coral polyps.

Lady Elliot Island, An Eco Experience on the Great Barrier Reef ...

The Great Barrier Reef  is world renown for spectacular coral, inviting turquoise water and a myriad of sea life. Many think to enjoy the reef, you must take a trip to Cairns, get on a charter boat for the day and head out to the reef.There is another way to experience the Great Barrier Reef, it involves a 4 hour drive from Brisbane, a short plane flight and a free spirit.  Lady Elliot Island  just east of  Bundaberg  is a stunning island offering a more natural experience of the Great Barrier Reef. No, there are no swanky hotels or night clubs to go to, the Island is a tranquil place for visitors to enjoy the natural delights the Reef has to offer.

I have been to Lady Elliot Island three times, my first trip was way back in 1992. My most recent visit was in 2005 and these images are from my 2005 collection. One of my favourite images  “Storm Coming”  won me a silver award in the Queensland Australian Institute of Professional Photography Awards that year.

At low tide, you can reef walk on the eastern side of the island closely inspecting the coral varieties, sea cucumbers, sea stars, sea urchins and countless species of fish. One highlight of my trip and a little spooky experience  was to do a night snorkel at high tide, the coral was barely a meter below me and seeing different species come out to play at night was awesome. If your visit coincides with turtle season, you may see a turtle come up onto the beach, dig a nest and lay her eggs before returning to the water. This process can take all night but it is very exciting. It is essential to be very quiet and unobtrusive as the turtle prepares here nest and begins to lay, if she is scared off, she will dump her eggs.

You can walk the circumference of the island in less than an hour, longer if you stop to take in the bird rookeries and explore the beach. Many species of sea birds nest on the island.

On the western side of the Island, you can snorkel, dive and swim, manta rays cruise pass as does the odd reef shark. As sunset arrives, it is a beautiful place to enjoy some chill time with the one you love.

If you have a family, Lady Elliot Island is a perfect place, there is lots to do to entertain and excite the kids, no X-Boxes in sight!

I hope you enjoy these images form Lady Elliot Island, as I was browsing through my back catalogue, I was inspired to share!

Physical oceanographic processes of the Great Barrier Reef

Satellite pictures (eg, Figure 3.21) of the Great Barrier Reef in the chlorophyll band show two bands of high chlorophyll concentration, one near the coast ...

The Great Barrier Reef, biology, environment and management

(Photos: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.) Figure 5.4 Different scales of coral disturbance. Parrotfishes (A) can generate local damage to hard ...

The framed world, tourism, tourists and photography

The history of tourism on the Great Barrier Reef is documented in a vast array of images including many photographs. A content and semiotic analysis of ...

Popular Mechanics

Floating Hotel Near Australia's Great Barrier Reef ... Digital Med Archiving ISELIN, NJ— The Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) stores images ...

Journey Great Barrier Reef, An Adventure Novel Set in Australia

A huge thank you to my Son-In-Law, Marty Sterling for his photos of the Great Barrier Reef. Another huge thank you to my husband Nick and my daughter ...