Lady Elliot Island and Great Barrier Reef Pics

All I can say about my latest adventure is WOW! The Great Barrier Reef really is great. Lets see, where to start… Well, on Tuesday we met at campus for 6:30am to drive to Hervey Bay, about 5 hours north of here. The airport at Hervey Bay is one of the smaller airports I have flown out of. We didn’t have to show ID when we checked in, didn’t go through security, and we were greeted by the pilots in the waiting area. There were 7 other people and the pilot on my plane for the 35 minute flight to Lady Elliot Island, where the eco resort is that we stayed at. Our plane was the first to take off, and it took 4 planes two trips to get everyone out to the island. We landed on the grass/dirt airstrip and joked we were glad that it was low tide and thus would have a longer runway. I got to open the door on my side of the plane which was a first(especially since 9/11), but my long legs were glad to have space again, and I’m sure the guy in front of me was glad too. We were greeted by resort staff and once the rest of the planes landed we crossed the airstrip. We got a tour of the resort, including the dive shop, gift shop, education centre, dining area, bar, and where we would sleep. Some stayed in permanent tents, I stayed in a room with 5 other girls. We did a snorkeling “lesson” in the salt water pool which I could have taught(in case you were worried, I passed). We then had time to relax and hang out until dinner. I walked along the coral beach and waded in the Lagoon at low tide. All the meals were a buffet and no one went hungry! We had a meeting to go over what the next day would be like, things we might see, and then went on a night walk on the west side of the island in search of turtle hatchlings. None were found, but the stars were amazing.

Wednesday morning after breakfast I went diving on the east side of the island, and the instructor and divemaster were glad to have me along as another set of eyes. The pictures really speak for themselves. The diversity of coral and creatures was amazing and it was hard to take it all in, especially since it was a drift dive and slowing down was really up to mother nature. For each dive we set up our gear at the dive shop and loaded it onto a trailer which was pulled by a tractor, we rode in a golf cart(with the steering wheel on the left side, not the right) to the lighthouse beach, put our gear on and walked to the boat, which depending on the tide meant the edge of the beach, or tip toeing through the coral which with the added weight of SCUBA gear was rather interesting. The waters were calm which made for a smooth boat ride, not that we ever were on the boat for more than 10 minutes. Between dives we had plenty of time to rinse off, recharge camera batteries, read, relax, eat a nice lunch, and meet back again for the second dive of the day. To get an idea of where the dive sites were click here for the map.
Wednesday dive 1- Drift dive from Tubes to Blow Hole. 2- Severence Wreck to Three Pyramids.
Thursday 1- Blow Hole to Hiro’s Cave. 2- Spiders Ledge towards Maori Wrasse Bommie.

Wednesday night we got to hold some turtle hatchlings and then release 6 of them which are the mostly dark pictures. Definitely a cool experience! Thursday was more diving and then we saw a slideshow of pictures from our group and the other group from our class that came 4 days prior to our trip. After that when we were walking back to our rooms we nearly stepped on 20-30 turtle hatchlings that were confused by the resort lights. So we collected them in the bucket pictured and were on our way to release them when we found 20-30 more again around a light on the walkway. This time we only had one flashlight and the light from the screen on my digital camera to guide the turtles into the water. Helping with that release was the most rewarding experience of the trip. Seeing the merely days old hatchlings going for their first big swim into the ocean was amazing. Through out the rest of the night about 10-15 more turtles were found, confused by the light and the resort staff took them to be released. It was sad that for an “eco resort” that has been there since 1985 and had hatchings happen every year that they hadn’t done anything to prevent the poor turtles from being mislead. A simple shade like structure on the oceanside of lights or a red plastic film around walkway lights would still allow us humans to see and walk safely, and would ensure the turtles a safe journey to the ocean. I will be writing to the resort to suggest this.
On Friday morning we went for one last snorkel before we had to be out of our rooms and fly back. This is when I saw my first ever manta ray. We also saw 2 eagle rays, one missing a good part of its tail. Well, and then there was all the coral and the thousands of other fish too! Showers and packing until lunch, then a group picture and the first group took off, and I sat at the bar relaxing until my flight at 2. We took a larger plane back. By larger I mean this time about 12 other people were on the plane! Then the bus ride back and the adventure was over. Overall I’d have to say that was one of the coolest trips, let alone field trips for a class, that I’ve ever taken. I certainly won’t forget it any time soon!
Check out the pictures. They are divided up into air and land shots, and then 2 albums of underwater. It was hard to select which ones to post out of the approx 400 that I took! Also below is the link for the resort’s website. Enjoy!

http://uqedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026079&l=d1b5e&id=44801562
http://uqedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026082&l=44325&id=44801562
http://uqedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026084&l=1f43f&id=44801562
http://www.ladyelliot.com.au

The Adventures of Finding Nemo

For my mid semester break I knew I couldn't just sit around and twiddle my thumbs, so I decided to head out to North Stradbroke Island again. My previous trip there for the field trip got me interested, and I figured it was not too close, I could do some diving, lay on a beautiful beach, and not spend an arm and a leg. So my adventures began with taking the train, for the first time here in Brisbane, to Cleveland where the water taxis/ferry and car barges all leave from, taking the ferry across Moreton Bay, and then across the island to Point Lookout. I stayed at the Manta Lodge and Scuba Centre which is a backpackers hostel type place and they run daily dive trips. I got a discount on my bed because I was diving, so my nightly rate was about $24 AUD. Not bad. Due to the Easter holidays space on the dive boat was limited, but Tuesday morning I was up before 7 am for my first dives in the Pacific Ocean. There were 7 other divers on the boat with me, all from the UK, the coxswain(capt) of the boat and the divemaster. I was paired with 3 friends travelling together who were Advanced and Rescue divers. I was the youngest, seemingly the usual situation I find myself in, but I had the highest certification level. It was kind of amusing to have the coxswain and divemaster kind of look at me for approval after their briefings and such. I didn't really care, I just wanted to go diving! We all loaded our gear onto the boat which was on the trailer and were told to climb in the 4WD. We followed the tractor pulling the boat to the beach, drove along the sand until they found a "suitable location" to launch the boat. I think they just liked driving on the beach, but that's just me. We then climbed into the boat and the divemaster backed the tractor and trailer into the water far enough for us to float, he parked the tractor and then swam out to the boat. We bounced along through the waves and wind for a few minutes to our first site and in we went. I was determined to find that little Disney animated fish, Nemo. We followed the divemaster for the dive, through the little swim through tunnel and around the area while he pointed out the wobbegong sharks and a few other highlights. At first I could only find Nemo's cousins, the black and white clownfish, but Nemo was finally found. After several games of peak-a-boo I got a few pictures and also a workout from catching up with the group after the photo shoots. I saw more puffer and porcupine fish than I think I've ever seen and also more black urchins than I could count. There was not alot of soft corals, which I'm not sure was because of the specific site or area. Between dives we had hot chocolate and gummy snakes. The second dive the divemaster let us explore the second half of the dive because he was keeping a close eye on the guy that nearly ran out of air the first dive. So 5 of us went around together while the divemaster brought the air-hog and his wife back to the boat. I found several of Nemo's brothers and sisters, and possibly grandparents(larger and slightly more rusty orange), one of the largest lobsters I think I've ever seen, who sadly was dead and rolling along the bottom in the current, a small lion fish, and a baby shark of some sort. I think he was a grey nurse, but hiding under a rock and only about as big as my arm it was hard to tell and he wasn't about to come out and tell me. Overall two fun dives, and I can now check off Pacific Ocean on my list of dives. The boat ride back to shore had it's own excitement, and not just surfing the waves. The large pod of dolphins that swam around made everyone smile and there were a few attempts to speak dolphin, but I didn't hear any responses, so I don't think it worked. Our beach landing was rather unique and a first for me. We were told that once we hit the beach to jump out and hold onto the boat. So we jumped as instructed, and watched as the tractor pulled the boat up the sand and onto the trailer. The rest of my time on the island was spent reading and listening to music on the beach, or taking walks along the many trails or the white sand. The wind made it so that all the dive trips returned to the 2 same sites for the rest of the week, and either boat problems or not enough space kept me from diving again. I still thoroughly enjoyed myself, got to relax, and meet many people from all over the world. I'm back now, and have classes on Monday before heading out to Lady Elliot Island on Tuesday for my next field trip. Hopefully a few more dives, this time on the Great Barrier Reef, some turtle hatchings, and maybe a pina colada at the bar. Don't worry it's really for educational purposes, I promise! :-)
Check out the album, Finding Nemo.

http://uqedu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025625&l=5e4bd&id=44801562

Cheers!

Groynes, Training Walls, and Sand Bypass System

My Coastal Processes and Management class went on a field trip to the Gold Coast to look at sand movement. We started out at Point Danger right on the border of Queensland(QLD) and New South Wales (NSW). The Tweed River is just over the border in NSW. The long rock structures at the mouth of the river are called training walls. They are designed to improve navigability of the river entrance by keeping the sand from moving across the river mouth and making it impassable. They also narrow the channel to increase the velocity to keep the sand out of the way. The first training walls were built in about 1900 and are now back inland and new ones which we see now were built in 1962. In looking at the pictures, the land on the far side of the river and training walls is further out than on the near side. This is caused by longshore drift (LSD). LSD is the movement along Australia's east coast caused by prevailing winds out of the southeast. These winds and LSD are also part of the East Australian Current (EAC). For those of you who have seen Disney's Finding Nemo, the EAC is what Marlin goes along (remember the turtles) to find Nemo. Anyways, the LSD moves sand northward along the coast. The net movement is about 500,000 cubic meters per year, the highest in the world. Back to the Tweed River, remember that NSW is south of QLD and that LSD moves sand northward. NSW built the training walls which started trapping the sand causing a deficit along QLD beaches and with cyclones and normal beach movement buildings started falling into the water because the sand was moving northward and there was none to replace it. As we moved north to our next stop at Currumbin Beach we looked at the groynes, rock walls used to help retain sand, that were built to keep the Surf Life Saving Club building from being washed away. Since 1985 all the high rises that are built in the area, the sand from the basements all has to go to the beach as part of the beach nourishment program. When we stopped at Surfers Paradise for lunch I looked around at all the buildings and they must have had a lot of sand added to the beach! We then carried on to near the Nerang River to talk to a man who helped design the submerged breakwater and artificial reef to protect the Gold Coast Highway. Building started in 1999 of the artificial reef and then sand bagging to keep the 1 million cubic meters of sand pumped in, called beach nourishment. When I say sand bagging, don't think of the 50 pound bags you can carry. Try 300 tons per bag. The whole project cost around 8 billion Australian dollars. Our last stop was at the Southport Spit Sand Bypass System station. This system was set up around the entrance to the Gold Coast Broadwater, known as the Gold Coast Seaway. Training walls similar to the ones at the Tweed River were build, but this time the Queenslanders were thinking and had seen the problems caused by the Tweed. The Sand Bypass system was also built at the same time in 1986. Considered to be one of Australia's most significant coastal engineering projects, pumping some 500,000 cubic meters(give or take) about 1 1/2 km from the south side of the training walls to the north side to keep that LSD sand movement going. This is the world's first permanent sand bypassing system. A jetty or pier sticks out with a pump every 30 m. The pumps aren't run all at once. Each day measurements are taken to decide which one or ones are used and they are run each night between 9pm and 7am and on the weekends from 9pm Friday to 7 am Monday, using off-peak electricity times. The system moves about 600 cubic meters per hour. In the picture of the machine that takes out all of the non-sand objects, I talk about body parts. No joke. A man drowned down shore from the pumps and part of his body was found in the machine. Sad but true. Anyways, now back to the Tweed River. You may have noticed that there was a long pier near those training walls too. Well, after the system at the Gold Coast Seaway was built pressure was put on NSW to do something. In 2000 the Sand bypass system was completed at the Tweed River. Overall it was a very interesting and enlightening trip. Who knew the Aussie beaches were so complex?

Check out the album.


Looking back now on the first half of the semester I think it’s very interesting how I'm taking 4 classes from 3 different schools and they are all so interrelated. Things I learn in one are backed up in another. Maybe I really was right when I designed my major! :-)

Cheers! Megan