Low winds and low tides
When you mentally plan your day out on the Australian Great Barrier Reef, images of a sunny day and snorkelling in calm water flood your mind. Nobody every hopes for rough seas, right? This July, guests were blessed by the weather Gods with unseasonably low winds, making for a smooth trip out to Opal Reef and minimal effort once in the water.
Even though the water still averages 25 degrees, constant sunshine is a welcome element. With the sunrays acting as floodlights, sweeping a path in front of you as you snorkel or dive, the true colours of the coral come to life. Electric blues and fiery oranges attract your attention, second only to the schools of fish that flash silver, blue, and green as they dart in front of you.
July 22nd was a particularly special day for guests aboard HABA as they witnessed the lowest tide of the month, which fully exposed the reef. This unique perspective of the reef brought with it a characteristic smell that is normally left out of our underwater picture… fishy!
The children enjoying their holidays were not the only ones playing in the water this month; spinner dolphins were spotted regularly as they escorted HABA back to Port Douglas.
