Heron Island Review
by Lawrence Taube
(USA)
The highlight for me was the warmth, clarity and life of the water. Besides the diving, I snorkelled everyday and saw different creatures each day. I basically lived in the water for the whole 6 day trip.
Travel Logistics
I booked the trip on the internet through ausescapes.com (I did a Google search). I got to Heron Island by helicopter.
Weather and Sea Conditions
The weather was good for the most part. Almost every day was sunny and warm. I did experience one day of rain. However, the rain didn't keep me out of the water.
The visibility was very good. It was around 100 feet.
Snorkeling/Diving
The diving was ok. The coral was a bit bleached due to global warming which was VERY disappointing. I expected great colorful coral and a picturesque diving scene. I didn't get this. The coral was all white and basically dead.
On my dives, I did see sharks, an octopus, an eel and many reef fish.
The snorkelling was great! I saw turtles, many different kinds of rays, sharks, eels, tropical fish, a Stone fish, Lion fish and coronet fish.
Accommodation
I stayed in a hotel room on Heron Island. It's a small island and not too many people go there. I would highly recommend staying there.
The two issues that one should be aware of are these:
- The coral is not colourful. It's bleached and somewhat dead.
- The island is also a bird sanctuary. So, the sounds of birds talking all the time is something to get used to.
However, I had a great time and I would stay there again.
The package that I bought for my Heron Island trip included all meals. The food was very good and the kitchen offered variety each day.
Tips and Advice
Heron Island is beautiful and the snorkelling is great. However, if you are looking for colorful coral for your dive trip, go further north. Heron Island is too south. The islands by Cairns still have the color of the coral.
Apart from ausescapes.com, I also had the Lonely Planet Guide for Australia and got info from the forums off of Tripadvisor.
My snorkel was the most useful item which I took along.
The Great Barrier Reef is made up of many islands. Each island can offer its own unique experience. Do some research and find the island that offers what you are looking for. The entire area of The Great Barrier Reef is a world treasure. It should be experienced in one's lifetime. After experiencing the reef, you'll realize how valuable it is to the planet's eco system and why we should protect it.
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