Lady Musgrave Island (posted Sunday evening 21.00)

Out on the day cruise to Lady Musgrave today: 75 minutes each way on the catamaran and 6 hours on the island and surrounding waters. I snorkelled for the first time ever and did my first post-certification dive. Visibility 20 metres! I felt much more confident because I wasn't afraid of losing the 0thers - because I could see them!

Underwater the colours of the corals and the fish are just like you see them on TV and in photos. Whilst snorkelling I saw a lot of brightly-coloured little fish and a big potato cod (called 'George'). I also saw a big (approx 1 metre carapace) Green Sea Turtle (they grow up to 176 cm). Green Sea Turtles are still laying on the beach at Lady Musgrave, but this one was in the water, half beneath a ledge in the coral.

Whilst diving we saw: a Hawksbill Turtle (smaller); a lion fish; a black and white striped sea snake (very venomous); a white-tipped reef shark (I saw it first!) and some rays . Lots of small colourful fish too of course.

I'm tired now and it's hard writing emails here at Cool Bananas, because all the lights are permanently turned down low and the vloume on the TV is turned up VERY LOUD.

In the morning I'm catching the 6.30 a.m bus to Hervey Bay. I've booked into the YHA there - the 'Colonial Log Cabins'. On Tuesday I'm off to Fraser Island for 3 days so will be out of contaact (no phones or computers). Hopefully I can bring this up-to-date tomorrow, at the YHA.
Paul is 52 today. I rang him around 8.30 GMT and sang 'Happy Birthday' to him. He wasn't very awake!