Feb. 10-12

The Great Barrier Reef was important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders for tens of thousands of years. However, it was “discovered” by Captain Cook in 1770, when he ran aground on a reef. We need big numbers to describe it. The reef system covers 344,400 square kilometers. It is 1,400 miles long. The reef includes 3,000 reef systems and 600 islands. One of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, it is about the size of Japan or Italy.

The GBR is a huge tourist attraction. With 2 million visitors per year, it brings in $6.4 billion per year and supports 64,000 jobs. Tourists can find snorkelling, scuba diving, helicopter rides, glass bottom boats, and semi-submersibles to view the abundance of creatures. Numbers vary, but among the claims…accurate, I think, are the big numbers below:

   -800 types of hard coral; about 1,000 species of soft coral:

   -100 species of jellyfish;

   -6000 types of mollusks;

   -4000 species of fish:

   -6 kinds of turtles:

   -14 kinds of sea snakes:

   -1300 types of crustaceans:

   -2500 different kinds of sponges:

   -30 different whales and dolphins.

These creatures interrelate in a variety of complex ways, For example, parrot fish eat algae off the coral. Sharks eat predators of parrot fish. Smaller fish eat parasites off parrot fish. About 25 percent of marine life is found among coral reefs….interacting with each other. It all works well. What could possibly go awry?

It is estimated that about half the coral has been lost since 1985. There are lots of reasons. Getting most attention is Global Warming. It has resulted in lots of “bleaching” read “killing” of the coral. A reduction of water quality stemming from land-based activity such as farm runoffs is an additional threat  A loss of coastal wetlands, ocean acidification, and periodic cyclones add to the damage. And, the Crown Of Thorns Starfish has found its way into the GBR, feeding on coral and stripping the coral of its living tissue. There are restoration plans to address some of these threats, but Climate Change remains the largest threat. And that requires action by the US and China, as well as other less prolific polluters.  

Our stops at Whitsunday Island(s) and Cairns (pronounced “Cans”) provided jumping off points to explore the reefs. Both are pleasant, very clean communities.

By chance, the Super Bowl was on our Whitsunday day. Viking did Superbowl well, complete with sugar trophy, lots of tailgater food (chicken wings, mini-hotdogs, quesadillas, corn chips with salsas, corn dogs, spring rolls and lots of desserts). In a Viking over-the-top way, bartenders created specialty drinks in the two teams’ colors.

I stayed on the ship while Karla represented our family with a boat tour of the Islands.

For the tour, Karla boarded the chartered catamarans directly from the Viking Sky.

Cairns

“Our first day in Cairns began about 1pm. We took the included tour of a very nice aquarium and then walked around….a lot. We saw a nice man made lagoon that allowed for swimming away from sharks and stinging jellyfish and lots of kids’ amenities like parks, play structures and shallow swimming pools. Of course, we had to find an “OP Shop” with an abundance of treasures. Then, there was the very modern mall for watch battery installation, followed by a visit to the “Reject Shop.” The Reject Shop was Cairns version of a Dollar Store. A stop at an oceanside restaurant for a beer and fish and chips preceded a visit to the Night Market…a large series of stalls with food, massages and touristy items.

By the end of the day, Karla had 30,000 steps; I went over 20,000. That was more than either of us needed and we had to return to the ship for a beer and reading. A long and pleasant day.

Karla arranged for a snorkeling outing. She took lots of pictures at the aquarium which she will certainly claim to have seen on her adventure. My couple of GBR experiences were highlighted by bleached coral and few fish. We’ll see how she fares. We were told that this isn’t an especially good time to be snorkeling, given the stinging jellyfish, but tour operators evidently provide a “stinger suit.”

Karla: Upon checking in for the snorkeling trip, I was given a full body lycra “stinger suit” to protect against deadly jelly fish, fins, mask and snorkel. After a 45 min fast boat ride with great tunes blasting, we were in the water. We saw lots of colorful fish, healthy coral and sea cucumbers but no turtles or sharks. The ocean current was strong and the two lifeguards in the water had their jobs cut out for them. If you were not paying attention and actively swimming against the current, tracking the boat, you could be pulled quite a ways from our exploration area. It ended up being a good workout and fun time snorkeling.