Text and photos by Mr Philip Tse
Last year, my family and I spent over two weeks in Australia during the summer holiday. For five of those nights, we stayed on an island called the Green Island, which is a beautiful 6000-year-old coral cay located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. (Q1: Do you know how a coral cay was formed?)
Last year, my family and I spent over two weeks in Australia during the summer holiday. For five of those nights, we stayed on an island called the Green Island, which is a beautiful 6000-year-old coral cay located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. (Q1: Do you know how a coral cay was formed?)
As you can see in the photos above, the weather was fantastic! We expected the water to be clean and clear but its purity simply left us dumbfounded. The only idea we had at that moment was to claim our snorkelling equipment and jump right into the water!
And that’s exactly what we did! As soon as we were done getting advice, half-heartedly, from the equipment guy, we merged into this natural interactive aquarium. There were all kinds of fish: big solemn-looking ones which liked to keep their distance, and tough little ones which would look right into our eyes in defending their territory. Occasionally, we would meet some starfish, rays, or even sea turtles! The turtles were definitely the superstars and they would draw the attention of literally everyone at the beach. Even the little kids would abandon the sandcastles made in a heartbeat just to catch a glimpse of them! Once there was this super friendly turtle swimming right next to me but unfortunately I could not turn on my camera quick enough. It was such an amazing moment! At the same time, I thought about the sea animals which are forced to live in polluted waters and I was saddened by the thought. (Q2: Which is your favourite sea animal in the Great Barrier Reef?)
And that’s exactly what we did! As soon as we were done getting advice, half-heartedly, from the equipment guy, we merged into this natural interactive aquarium. There were all kinds of fish: big solemn-looking ones which liked to keep their distance, and tough little ones which would look right into our eyes in defending their territory. Occasionally, we would meet some starfish, rays, or even sea turtles! The turtles were definitely the superstars and they would draw the attention of literally everyone at the beach. Even the little kids would abandon the sandcastles made in a heartbeat just to catch a glimpse of them! Once there was this super friendly turtle swimming right next to me but unfortunately I could not turn on my camera quick enough. It was such an amazing moment! At the same time, I thought about the sea animals which are forced to live in polluted waters and I was saddened by the thought. (Q2: Which is your favourite sea animal in the Great Barrier Reef?)
There were many other things to do besides snorkelling and sunbathing. Taking a ride on the glass bottom boat allowed us to see even more fascinating sea animals from further off shore. Every evening, staff members would feed the seagulls, which were eagerly anticipating the food and fighting for the best positions. There were also night walks for us to join so that we could get to know more about the unique ecosystem on the island.
My favourite moment during my stay there was the hour I spent all alone at the beach one night, listening to the paddling waves and taking pictures of the stars with just a point-and-shoot camera mounted on a tripod in complete darkness. The marvellous Milky Way reminded me once again how negligible human beings are within this vast universe. We are fortunate enough to have this beautiful planet and we should all protect it. Needless to say, I was inspired by this whole experience on Green Island. (Q3: What have you done to help save the living environment of the sea animals?)
