Koalaroo
Bubblebabbler
Earlier this week I had booked a snorkel trip with Blue Seafaris (They offer snorkel and free diving courses - Blue Seafaris | Home Page )
We were a small group (5 Snorkelers, 1 Boatie, 1 Guide) and the weather couldn't have been more perfect had we ordered it to taste.
One of our snorkelers was insecure to begin with, but our guides (Anika & Santi) had the patience of saints and instilled the necessary confidence to the point none of us wanted to leave the water by the time we should have left.
Visibility was good, and the sightings we had were spectacular: 3 species of sea turtles, an octopus fighting it out with cray fish, gray carpet shark, wobbies, 1 leopard shark, dolphins, nudies. Having seen the site now, I'm keen to return for a Scuba to focus more on the macro life there.
Land Travel:
Blue Seafaris meets at the parking lot of the public Fingal Head Boat Ramp.
Pros: The parking lot and jetty are easy to find. There are toilets and shower blocks, and plenty of shade around the edges to wait. There's a great little cafe just opposite the parking lot on the other side of the street for a snack/drink after the activities
Cons: Blue Seafaris needs to sign the location better. We arrived 20 minutes early and there was no indication of them there - we were unsure on whether we were in the right spot.
Boat:
The Boat is new, squeaky clean, and comfortable. It sits 8 people on those "yoga roll saddle seats" down the center line, with plenty of room around the sides to move around if needed. It was fully covered, so one was sitting in the shade as we sped toward our destination. The boat was equipped with all the needed technology & safety gear.
The team's introduction to the boat, safety brief, incl. pointing out the function of the CB Radio, etc. was thorough and easy to follow, even for us "non-boaties"
The Location:
Cook Island, NSW aka Jungarra Ngarrianis a protected Marine Reserve and home to a whole bunch of endangered species, such as the giant Queensland grouper, black rockcod, goldspotted rockcod (formerly known as an estuary cod) and the grey nurse shark.
It is 600m off shore and is uninhabited. It is an important site to the Bundjalong people as well as to wildlife conservation. As such, only a Ranger of Bundjalong Origin is allowed to set foot on the island.
One does not have to step on land to have an amazing time though!
The Sightings:
We started our watertime by spotting 4 Bottlenose Dolphins accompanying our boat for a brief stretch. As we arrived at the island, a Leopard Shark came astoundingly close to the surface, and several turtles came up for air.
Once we were underwater, the amount of fish greeting us was a marvel. I couldn't even identify them all...
- Octopus chasing Crayfish
- Diamond Fish
- Seargent Fish
- Damsels
- 3 species of sea turtles
- Gray Carpet Shark
- Wobbegong Sharks
- Nudibranchs (Spanish Dancer & a White one, sadly not caught on video)
- Sea Stars
- Wrasses
- Groupers
- ...
Conclusion:
- Must go back for a proper Dive!
- Given that I live an hour and a bit away from the location, it's an easy drive for a last-minute-snorkel adventure
- Blue Seafaris were a great snorkel/free diver outfitter
- Highly recommended family location for all waterrats, and particularly suitable if you want to get non-diving friends/family wet!
My first ever Video Edit:
We were a small group (5 Snorkelers, 1 Boatie, 1 Guide) and the weather couldn't have been more perfect had we ordered it to taste.
One of our snorkelers was insecure to begin with, but our guides (Anika & Santi) had the patience of saints and instilled the necessary confidence to the point none of us wanted to leave the water by the time we should have left.
Visibility was good, and the sightings we had were spectacular: 3 species of sea turtles, an octopus fighting it out with cray fish, gray carpet shark, wobbies, 1 leopard shark, dolphins, nudies. Having seen the site now, I'm keen to return for a Scuba to focus more on the macro life there.
Land Travel:
Blue Seafaris meets at the parking lot of the public Fingal Head Boat Ramp.
Pros: The parking lot and jetty are easy to find. There are toilets and shower blocks, and plenty of shade around the edges to wait. There's a great little cafe just opposite the parking lot on the other side of the street for a snack/drink after the activities
Cons: Blue Seafaris needs to sign the location better. We arrived 20 minutes early and there was no indication of them there - we were unsure on whether we were in the right spot.
Boat:
The Boat is new, squeaky clean, and comfortable. It sits 8 people on those "yoga roll saddle seats" down the center line, with plenty of room around the sides to move around if needed. It was fully covered, so one was sitting in the shade as we sped toward our destination. The boat was equipped with all the needed technology & safety gear.
The team's introduction to the boat, safety brief, incl. pointing out the function of the CB Radio, etc. was thorough and easy to follow, even for us "non-boaties"
The Location:
Cook Island, NSW aka Jungarra Ngarrianis a protected Marine Reserve and home to a whole bunch of endangered species, such as the giant Queensland grouper, black rockcod, goldspotted rockcod (formerly known as an estuary cod) and the grey nurse shark.
It is 600m off shore and is uninhabited. It is an important site to the Bundjalong people as well as to wildlife conservation. As such, only a Ranger of Bundjalong Origin is allowed to set foot on the island.
One does not have to step on land to have an amazing time though!
The Sightings:
We started our watertime by spotting 4 Bottlenose Dolphins accompanying our boat for a brief stretch. As we arrived at the island, a Leopard Shark came astoundingly close to the surface, and several turtles came up for air.
Once we were underwater, the amount of fish greeting us was a marvel. I couldn't even identify them all...
- Octopus chasing Crayfish
- Diamond Fish
- Seargent Fish
- Damsels
- 3 species of sea turtles
- Gray Carpet Shark
- Wobbegong Sharks
- Nudibranchs (Spanish Dancer & a White one, sadly not caught on video)
- Sea Stars
- Wrasses
- Groupers
- ...
Conclusion:
- Must go back for a proper Dive!
- Given that I live an hour and a bit away from the location, it's an easy drive for a last-minute-snorkel adventure
- Blue Seafaris were a great snorkel/free diver outfitter
- Highly recommended family location for all waterrats, and particularly suitable if you want to get non-diving friends/family wet!
My first ever Video Edit:
