Days 12 & 13: Fitzroy Island

On day 12 we woke up early to take the ferry from cairns to Fitzroy island. Upon arrival we headed to the cairns turtle rehabilitation center to learn about green sea turtles and help clean the algae out of their pools.

Fitzroy Island is the last stop before release for these turtles. Most of them are recovering from floating syndrome which happens when they eat too much garbage instead of real food and they are unable to control their buoyancy. This in turn makes them a larger target for predators and further prohibits them from consuming their normal diet.

After finishing up at the turtle center, we checked out snorkel gear and had lunch, then sat on the beach for a while. It was very windy and cloudy so we didn’t stay out too long.

In the evening, we hung out in the room, made dinner, and went to bed early.

On day 13, we got to sleep in and have a slow morning which was very nice after waking up early so many days in a row.

After lunch, we met up for a presentation from the Reef Restoration Foundation. We learned about coral and the 3 threats to it: climate change, crown of thorns starfish, and the drupella (a sea snail). We then went out snorkeling around the reef in order to remove and report any drupella we found. The water was very cold, and we didn’t get any wetsuits this time unfortunately. The water was initially murky near the shore but once we made it out a little further we were able to see the reef below.

The RRF also has a coral nursery where they grow and then plant the new coral along the island. The percentage of coral cover is currently at the highest it has been since they began measuring it, but that is no guarantee it will stay, so their preservation efforts are still vitally important to the long term health of the reef.

In the evening we had our final group meeting on the beach and then had dinner at one of the two restaurants on the island. I am sad to be wrapping up our time in Australia but also looking forward to exploring New Zealand.

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