our week with Tim … hardy lagoon

After a few days at Bait Reef we then entered Hardy Lagoon.  Hardy Lagoon is a large lagoon and it is a little tricky to enter.  There is a very narrow entrance and its recommended to only enter close to or at high tide, when the water has stabilised. We remember our first visit in to the Hardy Lagoon.  It was scary. So we weren’t surprised the cats following us felt the same.

Bossa Nova, Anui, ET and Alice (a mono) released their moorings at daybreak … destination Hardy Lagoon. With our waypoints at hand, we entered. Once inside, its magic! Calm, clear blue water with a white sandy bottom … but there’s always a big sigh of relief … “phew … we’re in!”  Alice stayed outside, anchoring at Line Reef, a quick dinghy ride away and we were very saddened to see Anui behind us ‘not quite fitting’ through the narrow entrance. They turned and tried Little Black Reef instead. Hopefully we’ll catch up with them at GKI.  It was an early high tide so visibility was poor, but we knew if we didn’t go for it then, it was not going to happen on this trip.

These photos were taken on the lagoon’s inside reef wall. There are a few ‘false’ entrances in to Hardy Lagoon so we do have to be watchful of the current that may be exiting the lagoon. Just ask the ET and Alice snorkelers!  They found themselves being sucked out to sea!  All a bit of fun.

Here’s a slideshow of the coral we found on the outside reef wall …

Another pleasure I enjoy in Hardy is playing around in the sandy shallows at low tide.  I discovered this area on my last visit a few months back.  I can stand or kneel for balance, the water is still, plenty of sunlight from overhead and there are little surprises to get up close to with my lens.  A good split-shot opportunity too!  I’ve found this type of photo really does take some planning and skill.  I’m really no closer to perfecting this unfortunately, but it is fun trying.

I also spotted this Humbug, a favourite of mine.  There was only one and he had this beautiful coral all to himself. The contrast of his black and white body with the pink coral was a standout.  I even managed to snap him looking at me!

We finished our days out at the reef on ET enjoying the culinary delights of Luke’s very tasty fish tacos. I did manage to extrapolate the recipe from Luke after a few drinks on Anui one evening. Fresh fish, soft shell tortillas and a special blend of Luke’s ingredients (I’m not telling).  They were DELICIOUS!!

We are now back in the Whitsundays. We ended this last week with a lovely day at Whitehaven Beach with drinks on shore at sunset with Chances and Vivacious, a snorkel at Pig Bay nearby … and today … it’s all about phone reception and the internet!

Whitehaven Beach … Chances, Vivacious & Bossa Nova

Chances, Vivacious and The Bossa crew on Whitehaven Beach

And our final Pig Bay snorkel … lots of healthy soft corals …

Then south we go!  The northerlies have arrived!  We will be out of internet range till Great Keppel Island.