lodestone and kelso reefs

Back to the reef!

We anchored in Radical Bay, Magnetic Island, when we returned from our first reef adventure with Vivacious and Chances. The wind arrived with rage during the early hours of the morning. After an aborted attempt to move around to Horseshoe Bay, we spent the morning at Radical Bay instead, watching the force of the wind behind us. These whales didn’t seem to care.

After a few days in Horseshoe Bay and with the forecast telling it was going to blow for several days, we decided to visit the Breakwater Marina in Townsville. It was time to catch up on some washing and provisioning (and socialising), along with an opportunity to attend to our seemingly inoperative wind instrument. Neville made several trips up our mast over far too many days, only to reach the perhaps obvious conclusion … it was stuffed! Unfortunately that scary B O A T word came in to play … Break Out Another Thousand!! The good news was that after we ordered a new bluetooth replacement, it arrived in 24 hours. (A very big thankyou to John at Southern Seas Marine for all his help on this one. Bluetooth means no wires up the mast.) 

As the days rolled by in the marina, we could see there was a possibility the weather was improving. In fact, there was calm weather approaching and as it turned out, several days of it. Whoopee!  We just had to wait for that new wind instrument. As I mentioned, it fortunately arrived overnight and we were off.  The reef was calling!

Our plan was to meet up with our friends Chris and Wade on Anui at Kelso Reef. Our first stop was to be Lodestone Reef followed by Kelso Reef the following day. We knew there was to be an exceptionally low tide while at Lodestone, actually in the negative, so we were looking forward to seeing the reef exposed. It’s such a wonderful sight, while in the water and from the air.

We’ve visited Lodestone Reef many times.  Unfortunately the condition of the reef near our mooring wasn’t as healthy as it once was. But I’ll always find something down there to entertain me and the conditions were stunning … even the Capt’ jumped in for a snorkel.

A low tide and calm conditions usually means some great reflections.

Next stop … Kelso Reef.  The jewel!

Our passage …

These conditions are just so rare … amazing!

We’d visited Kelso Reef two years ago with our friends on Waterfront. We followed Waterfront then, as we didn’t have a satellite program (they did), only our eyes. This time we have our sat’ programs – SAS and Open CPN. Open CPN is now our preferred option.  It has made life so much easier out here on the reef. We can find reef anchorages in advance, plot our routes, and we know where those scary bommies are.

Kelso did not disappoint. I remembered the snorkeling being so different from other reefs and it was. It’s a Marine Park Green Zone (no take) so the fish life is abundant. There’s outside walls to explore but also shallower gullies and lagoons with such clear water and white sandy bottoms. There’s a maze of meandering turns of different depths amongst a variety of healthy coral. There’s expanses of different coloured and sized staghorn coral. At times there was an almost prehistoric feel with big stags of staghorn coral protruding out from a white sandy bottom. It was easy to get ‘lost’ in Kelso’s underwater world. A surprise at every corner. 

We stayed two nights at Kelso Reef and while we and Anui were both ready to explore another ‘new’ reef by moving on, while writing this post and relooking at my photos, I’m thinking, why? It really was a delight under the water here at Kelso.

We had endless sunshine and glass-out days.  We snorkeled each day and while low tide was getting later in the afternoon, Kelso’s different depths meant there was always something close to see. There were many colourful Gorgonian Sea Fans, numerous Giant Clams (Tridacna), beautiful Feather Stars clinging to tight crevices and staghorn coral, big and small fish, my favourite Anemonefish, Parrotfish chomping on the coral, masses of Blue-green Pullers darting in and out of white staghorn, colourful Tunicates, just so much activity down there and so much eye-catching colour!

Anemonefish are always my ‘go to’ subjects, especially when they’re not too shy and they are in shallow water (I don’t need to hold my breath). Finding this family of Blackback Anemonefish in the Kelso shallows was a real treat. I don’t often use video when I’m under the water but with such great light in the shallow water, I could just linger. These fish really ‘popped’ with colour.

These Spine-cheeked Anemonefish were surprisingly very friendly.

This was one of many Giant Clams I found at Kelso. It doesn’t look that big in this photograph but it’s well over a metre long and I know it’s not too colourful, but check out the ‘garden’ growing on its shell.

The conditions were perfect.

This has been a long post I know, but how else do I do justice to this cruising life out here on the reef, in these amazing conditions. We certainly do not take it for granted. It is rare to even get out here and certainly rare to have these very calm conditions and for so many days, a real treat indeed!

Next stop … Duncan and Walker Reefs … watch out for my next post.