Impeccable white beaches, turquoise green Australian seas of transcendent crystals and an unwavering beauty of distinct biodiversity that shelters itself through its daring force.
Here I stand on Tropical North Queensland’s enticing beaches. Its beauty is blinding, and my eyes are gifted with the sight of an exuberant sunrise. As I had made my way to this beach I passed by signs of warning. Sharks that inhabit the crystal waters and salties (sea crocodiles) that linger mystically, waiting for their next bait using the sea to move into nearby rivers. Even the most innocent of all, Jellyfish that move with the tide yet powerful enough to leave a man dead.
I understand that nature, the very beauty I am amidst, is that which mutually faces humankind with the greatest of threats. Mind your step, I’d say.
For today, let’s mind the beauty along the way as we sail into the arising day leading path to a place many people gift their sight to. As aware to us all today, a vulnerable place, the Great Barrier Reef.
The greatest amongst them all, the vastest coral reef complex a natural wonder crafted throughout hundreds of thousands of years, millions, by the hands of earth itself. Its diverse 900 islands, 3,000 corals of different kinds and 9,000 enchanting animal species discovered by humans expand over 2,300 kilometers along the northeastern Australian coast.
There it comes harbouring into the bay, a luxury sailing catamaran. I present to you our today’s ride from Sailaway. Australia’s leading eco-tourism operator.
As we glide through the waters in a small boat, making our way to the catamaran, the sea breeze moisturizes my face, and the jaunty skipper vibrates its joyous vibes to us all. The spark of the people’s eyes on board leads path to the beauty that awaits us. To be exact, the beauty of the Mackay Coral Cay Island.
At 8 am, in the vulnerable morning quietude, we set sail and glide through the waters. The Daintree Rainforest lingers on the horizon, becoming an increasingly thinner landline on the horizon as we sail further and further out into Australia’s oceans. Out to the Outer Reef. An eloquent wind breeze and dancing waves accompany us along the way. The ocean is a fuse of dark blues embodying its depth and lighter crystal blue shimmering in the far distance.
At the end of the catamaran wavers, the Australian red ensign. The official flag to be flown by merchant ships. Different from the National Australian flag, being red rather than blue.
After around two hours we reach our long-awaited end destination, the Mackay Coral Cay. In the middle of nowhere, surfaces above the ocean, a blinding strip of white sand surrounded by vast coral reefs just above the ocean’s surface, and turquoise waters reflect the shallowness of the surrounding cay. Looks like it makes for the perfect spot to snorkel and witness marine life. No boat surrounds us as Sailaway is the only operator of Port Douglas with the required permission to sail to the Mackay reef.
Captivating lessons from a marine biologist are gifted our knowledge before we take a plunge. As well as rules. Here at the Great Barrier Reef, rules truly mean rules and not ‘Rules are made to break’. If rules are broken, the reef is damaged, not simply damaging a vulnerable living ecosystem but one that has been built over hundreds and thousands of years. That which a person can break with a single act of inappropriate human contact.
Exuberantly I slip on my wetsuit. My mind is inspired by the natural wealth that surrounds me, and my voice can’t wait to turn into a jaunty duck voice when I slip those snorkeling goggles over my face. Ready, set, go.
The ocean feels rejuvenating to my soul as in a group led by the marine biologist, I swim in the coral gardens. Swimming by dozens of fish that glide gracefully through the ocean as they hide behind vibrant corals, coral reefs of different sizes and turtles that swim with elegance. No one is to be found in our surrounding but us and the reef. As I swim down into the depths and surface back up, I feel like I am in a different dimension of life. I can fully immerse myself into the underwater life, isolated from the busy world that we live in by just a few meters. With Nemo, the many clownfishes the Mackay Coral beholds, I play hide and seek. My face expresses nothing but ecstasy as the remarkable beauty of Mackay Coral inherits one of the 2,900 most untouched and unprecedented individual reefs of the Great Barrier Reef.
Back up in 0 meters altitude I join Sailaway’s escapade in its glass bottom boat. What can I say except thank you, earth and to you, Sailaway, for this unparalleled experience amidst Australia’s ocean.
Utopia, to be here, embracing the natural gem that surrounds me while I savour the delicious lunch provided by Sailaway with meticulous detail and care. Values Sailaway embodies by serving people from around the world with a wholehearted experience while they preserve and raise awareness of the Great Barriers Reef’s vulnerability and ecosystem.