Australia

Heron Island

The island did not become inhabited until the early 20th century when a turtle cannery was established. The aim was to profit from the seasonal influx of green turtles, but the venture soon found it difficult to keep the business afloat.

Turtles, rays, sharks and lots of birds

Heron Island is a nature lovers’ paradise, and because of its size, everything is just on your doorstep, sometimes literally. Adrian Stacey waxes lyrical about the island’s delights

Photographs by Adrian Stacey & Aleksandr Jeldosev

Located on the southern reaches of the Great Barrier

Reef is a tiny speck of land called Heron Island. Most of the island is covered in pisonia forest and nestled among the trees is the Heron Island Resort and a University of Queensland research station.

Perched on the top of the reef, the island is surrounded by shallow turquoise waters that eventually give way to the ocean’s deep blue, where the reef finally drops off. Measuring a mere 800 metres by 300 metres, this diminutive coral cay attracts a bewildering array of wildlife, both below and above the water.

Named after a bird, it is perhaps not surprising that Heron Island is home to a lot of birds. There are, of course, resident herons (eastern reef egrets), but the majority are wedge-tailed shearwaters (mutton birds) and black noddy terns. Over 200,000 of these very noisy winged creatures take over in the summer months, making nests in the trees, buildings, and even the sandy ground. The birds are everywhere. A cacophony of sound assaults the senses during the day, while at night the calls of the mutton birds are the stuff of nightmares. Some sound like a crying baby, while other calls sound like a ghost. I would not be surprised if Alfred Hitchcock drew inspiration for his famous horror film The Birds from the island. However, the creepy birds are soon forgotten after encountering the island’s other summertime visitors.

Turtle relaxing on the reef Stingray flypast

Heron Island is a haven for birds

Female green turtles will lay around 100 eggs per nest and will nest around every two weeks over the season

Vast swathes of hard corals

November to March is the spectacular turtle nesting season on Heron Island, with hatchlings beginning to emerge in early January. Hundreds of green turtles and the occasional loggerhead lumber up the beach every night at high tide to find a suitable place to make a nest. Female green turtles will lay around 100 eggs per nest and will nest around every two weeks over the season. While turtles are graceful and swift underwater, they are anything but on dry land.

The turtles choose to come ashore at night when it is cooler, and at high tide, so they do not have as far to travel up the beach to the edge of the forest where they make their nests. Most will complete their nesting under cover of darkness, but some can still be found still digging in the early hours of the morning after the sun has come up. The hatchlings also choose the night to make their mad dash for the ocean as there are fewer predators at this time, and their chances of survival are slightly higher.

We came to the island with our two young boys, and seeing the turtles was definitely one of the highlights. It was also a brutal introduction to the harsh realities of the natural world and predation in particular. On the first morning, we were strolling along the beach and encountered a couple of baby turtles who had slept in. They both managed to make it to the ocean, egged on by my excited sons. However, soon after entering the water, the first turtle was taken by a blacktip reef shark, and then to my eldest’s abject horror, the remaining turtle was snapped up by a hungry seagull. The following day, we rose before sunrise to see some of the females make their way back down the beach after a challenging evening of nest building. Fortunately, we also encountered another baby turtle and much to my son’s relief, this one avoided being eaten.

We also had the pleasure of running into some researchers from Queensland Parks, who were tagging, measuring and making notes about the turtles. They were only too happy to explain what they were doing and how best to interact with the turtles without disturbing them too

Aerial shot of Heron Island Heron Island corals are superb

much. Things like not touching them, staying behind them as they make their way down the beach, and not using phones or torches to watch them as this confuses the turtle and can cause them to head away from the water.

While the turtles are the stars of the show, Heron Island also offers a lot more than reptiles and birds. The diving is stunning, and the snorkelling is spectacular. The dive sites are mere minutes by boat from the jetty. The corals are in pristine condition, acres of hard corals stretch out for as far as the eye can see, a myriad of small reef fish inhabit this coral labyrinth and there is the reassuring popping sound of the snapping shrimp, which is a sign of a healthy and vibrant reef. As you would expect, there are plenty of turtles in the water, lots of schooling fish and the occasional shark. Heron Bommie is a particular favourite with the turtles, and this colourful cleaning station also attracts the occasional manta ray.

Turtle cruising past Heron Island

The corals are in pristine condition, acres of hard corals stretch out for as far as the eye can see, a myriad of small reef fish inhabit this coral labyrinth and there is the reassuring popping sound of the snapping shrimp, which is a sign of a healthy and vibrant reef

We only managed to get in a couple of dives during our visit, but we enjoyed plenty of snorkelling and the encounters with marine life just off the sandy white beaches that fringe the island was impressive to say the least. Blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, lemon sharks, feathertail rays and shovelnose rays all patrol the shallow waters. On one excursion at low tide, we encountered an epaulette shark awkwardly making its way across the reef. Another dip was rewarded with the spectacular sight of five or six large cow-nose rays cruising past. These encounters are commonplace throughout the day and at any location around Heron Island, but the best time to snorkel is most definitely at dawn, and the early start is well worth it.

On our last day, I left the rest of the family in bed and made my way through the pisonia forest to the southern tip of the island to a place called Shark Bay. Here I had a couple of brief encounters with large lemon sharks, some shovelnose rays and a couple of turtles that looked relieved to be back in the water. As the sun began to climb above the horizon, I snorkelled down the island’s western side, where I was joined by more turtles and plenty of schooling surgeonfish.

A deep channel at the northern tip of the island gives access to the dive boats and passenger ferry. Sitting on top of the reef towards the ocean end of this channel is the wreck of the HMAS Protector, which was a large flat iron gunboat commissioned in 1884. After a collision with a tugboat, it was abandoned, then in 1943, the vessel was towed to Heron Island to be used as a breakwater. Now not much is left of the ship, and it is not safe to enter what remains, but this rusting hulk does attract a lot of marine life. Large schools of snapper, grunts and surgeonfish congregate around the submerged hull. I swam over at least 20 feathertail stingrays as they zipped over the reef on which the Protector sits, and I was also treated to a fly-by from a fever of 15 or more whiptail rays. Plus, more turtles and a lone eagle ray.

Fish swirl around a shipwreck

Heron Island reefs are home to myriad fish species

Baby turtle heading for the open sea

The island has no fresh water supply. A small desalination plant on the island uses reverse osmosis technology to supply water for human consumption. Similarly, two diesel generators (and some solar panels) supply electricity to the island.

Here I had a couple of brief encounters with large lemon sharks, some shovelnose rays and a couple of turtles that looked relieved to be back in the water

I finished off my early morning snorkel around the jetty at the island end of the channel. Several blacktip reef sharks closely watched a school of juvenile barracuda. As this channel offers the only seabound access to the island, snorkelling is not permitted between 8am and 4.30pm, when there is a lot of boat activity in the area.

Heron Island is located around 72km off the coast of Queensland and is accessed by a passenger ferry that departs from Gladstone every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The trip takes around two hours, and leaves at 9.30am, so an overnight stay in Gladstone is a good option. The ferry returns to Gladstone with departing guests at around 3.30pm. The only other way to reach the island is via helicopter, but this is considerably more expensive. We did take a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef during our stay, and although this was also not particularly cheap, it was a fantastic experience, and I would highly recommend it. Viewing the reef from the air is almost as spectacular as seeing it underwater. Heron Island is a nature lovers’ paradise, and because of its size, everything is just on your doorstep, sometimes literally. The diving is everything you would expect from the Great Barrier Reef, and the variety of marine life that inhabits the shallow waters surrounding this tiny little island is simply breathtaking. n

PLANNING YOUR NEXT INTERNATIONAL DIVE TRIP…

As the world finally opens, we had planned to use

this column to focus on a different destination each month, with information on what you need to know before booking each place, but amazingly, it’s all happening much faster than we thought! So, here’s a roundup of a few of our favourite dive destinations that you can visit right now, and what you need to know before you book that trip. We also look at what countries might be opening soon.

Fiji

Fiji opened its borders to quarantine-free travel around the same time Australia allowed quarantine-free entry to Aussie residents – just in time for a Christmas dive holiday! The rules have changed a bit since borders first opened, with paperwork and testing regimes becoming a little more relaxed. To enter Fiji, you’ll now need: • Certificate to show your vaccination status. In Australia these are called International COVID-19 Vax Certificate (ICVC). • Travel insurance showing cover in the event of COVID-19 for self-isolation costs. • PCR Negative Test result with the specimen collection date no more than 48 hours prior to your flight’s departure or

RAT Test within 24 hours. • A document showing CFC certified accommodation for at least the first three days. Top Tip: Book your Fiji dive trip sooner rather than later – especially your flights and avoid school holidays.

Philippines

The Philippines opened rather suddenly last month, and happily the airlines have caught up with demand quickly, with regular, reasonably priced flights to Manila and beyond. Here’s what you need to know: • Acceptable proof of vaccination • Negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours before the date and time of departure. • Valid tickets for your return journey to your port of origin or next destination not later than 30 days from the date of arrival in the Philippines. • Passports valid for a period of at least six months at the time of your arrival. • Travel insurance for Covid-19 treatment costs, with a minimum coverage of USD35,000 for the duration of your stay in the Philippines.

Papua New Guinea

The opening of PNG’s international border caught us all (happily) by surprise last month on 16 Feb. Here’s what you’ll need: • Acceptable proof of vaccination. • Negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure from port of origin. • International visitors will also be tested on arrival at the airport. • A completed e-Health Declaration Form. www.pnghdf.info • If you have tested positive for Covid within the last three months, a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner from your country of departure, certifying that you are no longer infectious. Top Tip: Insurance is not mandatory, but highly recommended. Currently it is necessary to stay overnight in Port Moresby at the start and finish of your trip to PNG as there are no same day domestic flight connections.

How do I organise Covid tests overseas?

Most resorts and liveaboards can now organise this for you, but it is important to choose accommodation with a nurse or wellness ambassador on staff, or with easy access to a clinic. Ask your travel agent for recommendations.

What happens if I catch Covid while overseas?

In some countries where vaccination rates are lower, this is still a risk, which is why travel insurance is mandatory in some destinations. The level of coverage needs to be adequate to cover your treatment should you become ill, and the cost of additional accommodation should you need to isolate. Ask your travel agent about the ‘escalation plan’ your chosen resort or liveaboard has in place, should one of their guests become ill – and make sure they have one! Some destinations have developed accreditation programs to ensure tourism operators have these plans in place, so visitors feel safer. For example, choose any of Fiji’s Care Fiji Commitment (CFC) accredited hotels, or Thailand’s SHA++ accredited hotels, and you can be assured you’ll be well taken care of.

Where to next…?

A few regions in Indonesia, including Bali and North Sulawesi, are inviting international visitors to enter the country and isolate for five days at approved resorts, before they can wander around the resort, region, and country freely. Some resorts are well-geared up for this, allowing guests to dine a-la-carte on their veranda, book private time in the pool, and after five days - time to start diving.

While NOT official yet, it is rumoured the Indonesian government will soon relax the mandatory hotel quarantine from five days to three days for fully vaccinated visitors. If this program is successful, then they may lift the quarantine the following month. Vanuatu just announced a Three Phase plan to open to fully vaccinated visitors once they reach their own vaccination targets. Phase One will see them welcoming guests to Port Vila, with seven days hotel quarantine, Phase Two will see the Quarantine period reduce to three days, and at Phase Three, they will open the other provinces (including Espiritu Santo) to international visitors. n

Visit Diveplanit.com for more information about these destinations, email us at enquire@diveplanit.com or call us on 1800 607 913.