After some 10 days in Cairns, we enjoyed a small break in the wind – four days of below 15 knots before it returned to 20+. It was time to escape the midges and have some fun at the reef, delighting in colourful treasures at Michaelmas Reef!

It was windier than forecast as we left Cairns – over 22 knots – so as we often do, we got out, raised the sails with two reefs in the main and worked out where we could point! In the blowy conditions Michaelmas Reef was our best option – good angle to the wind and protection once there. You get shelter from the sand cays and layers of reef: Michaelmas itself and Arlington behind it, therefore less swell.

Our first day and night was in front of the vegetated cay at the western end of the reef, tied to a public mooring.

The sky over the cay was dark with flying birds and the noise was unbelievable. The western cay is a bird sanctuary with a large seabird population, in particular boobies, terns and noddies. How they all fly in close proximity without colliding is a wonder!

Under our hulls it was nearly as busy. We had the welcoming committee: giant trevallies, batfish, surgeonfish, fusiliers … The GTs were quite inquisitive. Although the water clarity was not great, it was fun to interact with them.

The next day, the conditions had lightened so we moved further east along the reef, a first for us. We anchored in front of another little cay, away from commercial operators with their loads of tourists and from other boats… much better! Here are some aerial shots.

We stayed there for three days, enjoying the solitude, space and new location. But what was most enjoyable was snorkeling off the many bommies behind the boat in the deeper water – the green patches in the aerial below. It is quite fun and varied. You do a lap of one pinnacle, then move to another, and another, till you get tired or cold. The further out we went, the clearer the water, deeper the pinnacles and better the marine life.

Colourful Trio

The best thing about diving around the isolated bommies was seeing magnificent examples of our favourites: feather stars, gorgonian sea fans and carnation corals. So this is what we are sharing with you today.

Both of us were photographing, since Michaelmas Reef is in a green zone and Wade could not spear. It is always interesting to see what we both come up with, even when photographing the same creature.

We have taken so many underwater photographs over the years that the challenge these days is to capture the beauty of our subjects at different angles to make it interesting for ourselves and our viewers.

Let’s start with the Feather Stars – Crinoids. They are passive suspension feeders, filtering plankton and small particles of detritus from the sea water flowing past them with their feather-like arms. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. They come in different shades: green, black, red, orange, burgundy and sometimes combinations of two colours. The ones which attracted our attention were different in colour and with an unusual attachment to the reef. Here is a slide show. Wade even took a photo of Chris taking the shots!

Next, let’s talk about the Gorgonian Sea Fans – Alcyonacea. They can be small or very large, bigger than us, and when you spot one, you will often find more as they form colonies. Red, orange, pink are the most common colours we see. They may look like plants with their beautiful branching structure, but they are animals. They can also provide shelter for other marine life. A few of the gorgonians we saw hosted a crinoid… two favourites for the price of one!

Gorgonian Sea Fans typically are in deeper water, facing the current to capture the flowing zooplankton they feed on. As snorkelers on a single breath of air, you have the challenge of diving down to capture their lacy arms and the beautiful surrounding soft corals. You want to get close enough to see the details, but not so close you chop off the end of the branches as you frame the image. And of course, all this happens while managing your breath and buoyancy so you stay down for long enough. On our last dive at Michaelmas Reef we hit the jackpot: we went to a large coral pinnacle with a multitude of large sea fans about eight meters down. It was exhausting but rewarding work! We have put our best images in a slide show. The first photograph is a prime example of the environment and the richness of colour we were lucky enough to observe.

Third in our favourite marine life trio: the Carnation Corals – Dendronephthya. These filter feeders are one of the most exotic-looking soft corals of the tropical reefs, in shades of soft pink, magenta, yellow, orange, bright red or purple. The stalks can also have a combination of colours. The carnation corals are either tree-like or grow in clumps. Upright stalks have branches with bushy groupings of polyps at the ends, looking like bunches of flowers. These were on the reef walls and under overhangs. They feed mainly on phytoplankton. Here are a few examples:

We hope you enjoyed this display of captivating marine treasures. Do let us know in the comments and if you have questions feel free to ask.

Where to next?

The calmer conditions were short lived, and we had to come back to shore. The weather has been strange this year. Long periods of very strong SE don’t augur well for an easy return south. The Bureau of Meteorology is talking about a late onset of the monsoon season. We were originally hoping to get further north past Lizard Island but do not want to risk getting stuck there and then having to rush back south for our scheduled haulout. So we have moved to Plan B, as you do! We returned to Cairns to wait out another bout of strong wind and rain, re-provision, take our Bengie to the vet for a dental checkup, and we are now getting ready to head south. It does not mean the end of the fun and discovery though. We have our eyes on several reefs and islands along the way, and a possible return to the Northern Swain Reefs.

Stay tuned for your next dose of escapism somewhere off the North Queensland coast!