After the big adventure day yesterday, we were up for a lower paced day. A few boat projects were checked off the list and around 10:30am Roxy was feeling it was our best chance to snorkel the reef and look for dugongs (similar to manatees). It had been raining off and on all morning and so we all suited up and jumped in the dinghy. Sliding in the water we began exploring. It was alright but with the filtered/occasionally sunlight it was probably better than we felt. The best part was a wall that forms a small canyon. I was pulling the dinghy at the time and free dove down the 25ish feet looked around and was surprised when I surfaced at how far the dinghy had drifted. Ugh. Carl was near a sandy beach so I headed that way. After the beach we hatched a plan to search for the dugongs.
Carl took the dinghy, Roxy and I spread out and we worked our way toward the sandy/grass area between the reef and Sky Pond. I came upon a sea turtle which I watched for awhile. I remain amazed how they could care less that you are there and just slowly cruise around. Truly a special experience. Along the way to the boat we failed to locate any dugongs but I did come around a dozen sea turtles so I’ll still call it a win.
With always work to be done, I scrubbed the waterline while Carl knocked off some growth on the bottom. A little bit every couple days is much easier than letting it get out of hand. A fresh water rinse and some lunch brought the sound of a dinghy approaching. We had a short visit from a couple from OZ and invited them over for sundowners after there trip to the village.
Around 4pm they arrived and we had a great visit learning about Tracy and Julian’s sailing experiences (former racers) and her job as an ER nurse but currently running a project (while cruising) writing processes and documentation for Australian health. We hope to cross paths with them and are headed in the same direction so there is a good chance for another round of sundowners.
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