Monkey Beach, Great Keppel Island

The rain let up a little today so we jumped on a ferry to Great Keppel Island to do some snorkeling. Away from the mainland and the murky crashing waves, the water calmed and underwater visibility improved.

We hiked to Monkey Beach a few beaches over from the main beach and were rewarded by having the beach almost to ourselves. Sorry neighbors- we are pretty loud. We run up and down the beach drawing pictures with sticks in the pristine sand and having sand throwing wars.
The dingy here belongs to a Aussie couple who came ashore from their yacht. They live on their yacht and sail all around the world. Sounds like a dream come true, until you factor in the true nature of the open sea and the misery that is feeling seasick (experienced firsthand by most of us on the rough ferry ride today). Not all sandy beaches folks...(but still awesome I'm sure)

The reward for our effort came when you put on your mask and stuck you face in the water. The underwater camera worked it's magic, capturing the events.

We found Nemo...

And the grand finale- swimming with a sea turtle. The kids followed this guy around for about 5 minutes, until he turned around to see who was following him and really freaked Steve O out- do sea turtles bite?

By the way... Happy New Years from Down Under, a little before the rest of you. As I write this I can hear the fireworks on the beach and my family snoring around me- what can I say- exhausting fun day! Happy 2010!