After 15 days at the Swain Reefs a strong blow was forecast to develop. It was time to head back inshore and shelter behind an island, but not before we had a chance to visit a couple more reefs.

We have enjoyed different weather patterns at the Swain Reefs than at the Capricorn & Bunker Group or closer inshore. There has been a mix of conditions: periods of calm followed by one or two days of stronger wind and even rain, then back to lighter, sunny weather. The forecasts have also been very changeable and at times the wind has been stronger than expected. But that’s life offshore: you monitor and work with what you get. We are prepared to sit in 20-25 knots if just for a day or two. When winds of over 30 knots are predicted to stay for longer, we leave!

This is our track through the southern and central part of the Swain Reefs for the entire trip.

Now that we have unlimited internet access, this is a longer post with lots of photos. We hope you enjoy the tour.

Mervs Reef in stronger weather

We experienced Mervs Reef in different weather to last week, while the SE winds were blowing at 20-25 knots with a few showers, conditions which were stronger and lasted longer than forecast. We don’t like sailing in the rain or trying to anchor at a reef in big gusts so stayed put longer there! The tormented skies over the teal water made for some moody shots.

The greyness did not stop the girls from having a snorkel while the boys chatted in the dinghies! Mike has hurt his back and Wade has sliced through his finger filleting fish, hence them choosing to stay out of the water for a few days.

Chris and Åse were keen to stretch their legs underwater; it is good for the body and for the soul and we did manage to find a few things to our liking. So here are our marine biology observations this week.

At Mervs Reef, even more so than at Surprise Reef, very large bait balls were fascinating to watch as they moved and changed shape on masse, a bit like the murmuration of starlings in European skies. It is quite an experience swimming through the dense columns, with millions of silvery fish parting in front of us then rejoining behind us! We call them bait balls, but we saw all sorts of shapes: long waves, columns twisting and swirling… They get startled by noise, sudden movement or a predator and sharply change direction, moving in synchrony, up or down, left or right, and incredibly quickly. This swarming behaviour is a way for small fish to protect themselves. There is safety in numbers and swimming in a tightly packed formation makes it difficult for predators to target a single fish. Turrums and Trevallies were on the outside, herding them, and you did wonder about anything more challenging out there, but all was fine.

In the grey light, wide angle underwater shots look rather dull, so you just adapt your photography to the conditions! Chris focused on close ups of the many brightly coloured Spirobrachus giganteus, also known as Christmas Tree Worms. These tubeworms are only small, about 3 to 4cms, and come in all sorts of colours. As the common name suggests they look like little Christmas trees; but they are not plants, they are animals – worms which bore into living coral Porites, and use their vibrant spirally radioles to filter micro-organisms from the water. They filter feed when all is calm, yet swiftly retreat inside their worm hole at the slightest threat… such as a dome lens coming too close!

Isobel Bennett – Frigate Lagoon

Eventually, the wind eased a little and we moved north some 16 miles. We spent a few days at Isobel Bennett Reef. We had been there before and like the variety it offers. This was the furthest reef north we went to on this voyage, as the forecasts showed it was time to think about a return to shore.

Snorkeling at low tide along the entrance wall to the lagoon was worthwhile, even if only the girls took part. The first dive being in 15 to 20 knot wind was a little choppy, however the second snorkel was much easier the next day when the wind had died down.

We found this part of the reef in reasonably good condition, with some healthy corals in shades of purple and mauve, as well as interesting areas where jostling for real estate between species of coral was evident. There was a multitude of fish; the competition for best in show was won by the photogenic Spinecheek Anemonefish and Giant Clams.

Although the usual welcoming committee of Tawny Nurse Sharks was not there when we arrived much to our buddies’ relief, we did spot one early on the third day lurking under Anui, and Chris jumped in with the camera.

At 2.5 to 3 meters long, these docile sharks are big and like to check you out. It would be easy to freak out when you are in the water and see them approaching, coming close enough for you to pat them! But they are gentle, with a gummy mouth designed to suck their food off the bottom, rather than bite it… at worse if they take a liking to you there is always the chance you get a hicky! This particular one just wanted a snooze.

We had to be patient with aerial shots at Isobel Bennett. The wind remained around the 20 knots mark for ages. But early on our last day there, it had died down and we managed a dawn flight then another after our snorkel for a view of the entire lagoon.

South to Snake Reef

From Isobel Bennett, we headed to Snake Reef, an elongated crescent shape reef on the southern border of the Swain complex, giving ourselves one last chance to explore another anchorage before our departure back to the coast.

We had never been there before, but thought it could be a handy arrival point at the Swain Reefs next time around and wanted to check it out. The access is easy and unobstructed; however it is deep: mostly 10 to 12m+ along the narrow sand strip bordering the reef edge and it quickly drops to 20m. It offers some protection from the southeast trade winds, although being on the very southern edge of the Swain Reefs, there is some swell at high water. We managed to fit in a drone flight, despite the threatening skies.

With the light a little flat and the tide high, we opted not to get into the water for a snorkel but thought the gutters at the eastern end might be worth a look next time.

Overnighter back inshore!

With gusts of over 30 knots forecast offshore for several days, it was time to head back inshore and hide behind an island! We left overnight and used the last of the calm conditions to motor 120nm towards the southwest while there was hardly any breeze and are now at the Keppels. Had we been prepared to instead go further north towards the Percy Isles, we could have stayed another few days before the serious blow, but we wanted to position ourselves for another trip to the Swain Reefs with other cruising friends and at this time of year it is best done from the south, not the west.

Despite the fact we motored back all the way, the night was gorgeous, with the milky way and moon lighting our passage, and phosphorescence in the ocean. It is rare we get the conditions for night shots, but these will give you a feel for what it was like.

We anchored at Emu Park well before dawn, snoozed a few hours, then went ashore for a well-earned breakfast with Åse and Mike, followed by reprovisioning. And now we are back in busy anchorages, but have unlimited internet and access to shore walks. We have reprovisioned and are hiding from the blow. It’s time to catch our breath and wait for the next window to head back out or further south!

It has been a good voyage for the Anui crew and it seems our buddies on Thor enjoyed the guided two weeks tour. Mike and Åse saw firsthand how we juggle fast changing weather conditions, navigate among the reef mosaic, pick safe anchorages and manage day to day life offshore. We got to know them a little better and appreciated their company.