Sailaway, with me.

To the sea.

And we did.

We chose a small tour operator named Sailaway to take us out to Low Isles for a spot of snorkelling. The tour included morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and guided snorkelling out at Low Isles. All we needed were our togs (swimmers) and towels.

Another early morning in paradise, the norm here.

And that’s ok.

The shuttle picked us up at a hotel chain around the corner and ferried us to the Port Douglas Marina. We had just enough time to get a single shot soy latte before boarding. Fortunately for my fellow travellers, which of course meant I could then be half civil.

Our cruise had 15 people and a crew of four.

And it was rough!

Some, who shall remain nameless, felt distinctly ill.

Ok, it was me. And a couple of passengers from the two other groups.

The downside to travelling in a small sailing boat, choosing not to deal with 150 tourists but not having the benefit of a huge flat catamaran to keep things calmer. The upside being an amazing day with a crew that gave us one-on-one attention, imparting their significant knowledge of the area.

Once at Low Isles we took a glass bottom tinder over to Low Island. Three of our group snorkelled and the other three lay on the sand languishing in the sun. Actually we lucked out on the sun.

Also ok.

Low Island is part of Low Isles on Trinity Bay. Low Isles consists of two islands; Woody Island, an uninhabited coral, mangrove island, and the main attraction, Low Island, which is a smaller vegetated, sandy, coral cay surrounded by 55 acres of Great Barrier Reef.

It was a lovely day, one I particularly appreciated once we arrived back on terra firma.

The snorkellers saw all sorts of interesting fish, some huge clams and a turtle or two, not to mention the amazing coral system that is the Great Barrier Reef. And our cruise group did happen upon a shark swimming past our boat. Once we were all safely onboard.

All in all, a must see when up here.