Day 46 Coral Bay

At about 3:30am, our idyllic location turned sour when fierce winds blew up and shook the bejeezuz out of us. Jacqui was convinced that we, along with the van, would end up in the same water that looked so appealing to us, when we arrived here at Coral Bay. All of a sudden this paradise might not be quite as difficult to leave behind; particularly now that we know of the cyclone just to our north.
By about 5am, the wind had died down and we all managed to get another two hours of much needed sleep but while not as ferocious, the wind kept us off the beach for most of the morning. We finally ventured onto the beach at about 11 and immediately grabbed our snorkels for a look at the underwater world we’d all become so infatuated with. Today brought new fish and new coral and we saw some of the largest fish only centre meters from our noses. These giant white fish looked like snapper or some similar species and seemed intent on taunting us by swimming so close to us, and the shore. Surely they couldn’t know they were living in a sanctuary zone where fishing of any kind is prohibited. Today was Jacqui’s second venture into this underwater wonderland at Coral Bay and the colour and the variety of sea life she encountered will have her coming back again and again.
The boys built castles in the sand and after lunch, the Yahtzee challenge saw Jacob as the inaugural winner with Jacqui coming in a distant second. Diaries were worked upon, Christmas lights attached to the van, and emails answered while the wind again built in intensity. A walk around the bay for a final farewell and then we began preparing for our departure in the morning. This place is a paradise when the wind stays away but we need to move as they’ve already told us that they no space spare over Christmas. Moving on might be a good thing as we’ve had new neighbours arrive on either side today. On our left, we’ve had Paul Hogan’s long lost brother move in with his seriously off-road camper van and an equally serious can-do attitude, and to our left, we now have the Evangelical family, all the way from the UK. All of a sudden, Carnarvon looks appealing, even without the approaching cyclone.
Cheers,
Jorg