From the Garrett Drago 31/03/06

After a week of waiting on cyclone Wati's movements I finally arrived in Cairns on the 28th of March 2006. I left a week of beautiful, but rare Melbourne weather and was greeted by strong winds, heavy cloud and humidity that I am not accustomed to. It did not dampen my spirits, this should be an experience of a lifetime. An hour, a bus, a backpack and a long walk later I arrived at the pelican. The crew were all friendly and the vessel magnificent, i am privileged to be here!

I will begin by writing how great the trainees are. I'm enjoying my time with them as they all have unique but fantastic personalities. It's been a while since I have laughed this much. They have already learnt so much and are still eager to learn more about the marine ecosystem. They are proving to be great students. I have spent only a short time with them but I can already see bright futures for each and every one of them. I am happy to have met them.

There are twelve people on the Catamaran with most people sharing a cabin. There is still plenty of room aboard the vessel with the exception of the toilets. Water is precious here and we must shower with very little water which takes a little adjusting. Every meal is a treat. We are really being spoilt in that department. It all runs so smoothly here, everyone has a role to play and everyone does it well without getting in each others way. I have been helping out whenever I can with smaller tasks around the boat and kitchen. Its been fun teaching the trainees a little about local environment, and helping the scientists and divers with their expeditions.

The Coral Bleaching research is pretty demanding. The research involves filming stretches of reef and gathering specific data focusing on the condition corals in that location. The team surveys two sometimes three sites a day, taking around an hour to complete each location. Then they process the data for most of the afternoon and fill the dive cylinders, so I see surprisingly little of them. They say there is more bleaching on the southern parts of the Great Barrier Reef as it experiences greater temperature changes than the northern sections. I, myself, have seen very little bleaching.

Rain and wind seem to enjoy our company as they have followed us all the way from Cairns. Winds have been up to 25knts but the Pelican takes it in her stride, she is extremely stable in rough weather. Humidity is difficult to deal with at night and when combined with so much rain it seems everything you touch is damp, including my mattress. With any luck we can get a day without rain before we reach Cooktown!

Personally its been great and I can't take the smile off my face. I have seen many sharks, fish and beautiful corals. Each day is exciting and educational and I'm learning more about marine life and lots about sailing/boating. Whenever we cruise by a reef I am amazed by the diversity of colours one can see in the Cays and lagoons. My camera is running overtime and so is this log, so next time I write it will include only the highlights.

Someone has to do it!
Kind regards
Garrett