Close to home #6 Kayaking with Straddie Adventures
When I hear the words “Don’t bring anything you don’t want to get wet” my plan to take beautiful photographs of the sea disappears with my camera, which I reluctantly put away. I’m about to paddle a kayak for the first time in 40 years and it’s likely more than the camera will get wet.
I’m kayaking with friends at North Stradbroke Island, 30 km east of Brisbane, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. Debbie, an island local and part of the team at Straddie Adventures, will be our guide as we paddle south from Amity Point into Rainbow Channel. We launch our kayaks in the late afternoon sunlight and paddle out past the pier, giving it a wide berth. “The kids jumping off the end of the pier enjoy trying to overturn passing kayaks,” says Debbie.
The incoming tide carries us along, towards broad sand flats where sea grass bends with the current. At first our steering is as poor as our timing and we laugh at our efforts, but Debbie reassures us: “Laughter is good. I know everyone is enjoying themselves.”
Sting rays live in these shallow waters. Suddenly there’s a flash of silver; the water stirs as the first one glides under us. There’s a flurry as another burrows into the sand. Even though she does this trip most days, Debbie is as excited as we are when more sting rays appear. “It’s different each day,” she says. “The sea is never the same. We can’t predict what the animals will do or where they will be.” Ahead of us fish leap out of the water, a sure sign that shovelhead sharks are about, but they’re shy and swift. We only see black fins and water churning in their wake.
We paddle into Wallum Creek, country of the indigenous Quandamooka people. This part of Moreton Bay is a protected marine park; only the traditional owners are allowed to hunt and fish here. Around the first bend of the creek our paddling slows as the tide takes us deeper into the mangroves. The sun dips lower in the sky and there is silence along the creek banks. “It’s never this quiet on the mainland,” says Debbie. Green turtles are often seen in the creek, but today they are hiding. As the sky darkens we grudgingly leave this magical place. Now the paddling is harder, as we push forward against the tide.
As we reach the mouth of the creek, the sun, a huge fiery ball, hovers just above the mainland before slipping behind the blackened mountains of the Taylor Range. To the north, the jagged shapes of the Glasshouse Mountains are silhouetted in the burnt orange sky. The last rays of sunlight are replaced by city lights while the jet stream from an invisible plane glows like a firebrand.
The water of Moreton Bay has turned from aquamarine to deep oily green, the sky’s reflection gilding each ripple. I too reflect on the day. I may not have stunning images on my camera, but they’ll be in my memory forever. And I’m only a little wet!
*This story first appeared in Queensland Smart Farmer Magazine, November/December 2015.
What a wonderful experience and you had me paddling right along with you ………
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I’m glad you enjoyed it, CC. It was a fun afternoon.
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Amazing photos! Congratulations on your work!
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Thank you Roberto. I’m pleased you enjoyed the photos and the story.
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Sounds like so much fun. Sunset is gorgeous.
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The sunsets were lovely all week.
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Hehe might have been a good time to get the new iphone that is waterproof! 😛
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I think I would have been too worried about dropping it overboard!
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Beautifully told.
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Thank you.
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While not from the water, you captured the water beautifully!
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Thanks Robin. It’s funny how I had these wild imaginings about taking wonderful ocean photos from the kayak. Luckily there were some great places from which to take photos on land!
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A great account of your adventure. I saw the photos in my mind’s eye. Love that sunset. 🙂
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I’m pleased to hear you say you could see it in your mind. That’s what I was hoping for. We had glorious sunsets like that every evening.
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What an amazing adventure, and the photos are gorgeous. 🙂
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Thank you Judy. Even though I couldn’t take my camera on the kayak trip, there were plenty of other photo opportunities.
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I love kayaking, it’s so much fun. The last time I did it though was too long ago, on Ometepe island in Nicaragua…
http://www.greenglobaltrek.com/2010/11/kayaking-at-isla-de-ometepe.html
Your photos and accompanying descriptions are beautiful. What a magnificent sunset! Wow! Glorious.
My husband got stung once by a sting ray… He said it hurt like crazy!! Was pretty scary as well, but the locals ( also in Nicaragua) only saw the humour in it and that eased the “panic”. Ha.
Peta
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Ouch, That would have been frightening. Glad he was okay in the end.
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Just beautiful Carol. Felt like I was right there with you. Stunning photos and lovely writing, congratulations on having your work published.
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Thank you, Miriam. I have a couple more posts coming up that have been in the magazine too.
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That’s great, look forward to reading them.
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It sounds wonderful, Carol, and very nicely told. 🙂 I’ve only ever been in a kayak once so I think I’d be more than a little nervous, as well as wet! 🙂 Happy days!
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I was nervous at the start but I soon got the hang of it. 😁Glad you enjoyed my story, Jo.
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What a beautiful place and I’m so glad the laughter flowed. Great photos – it was easy to imagine the ones you couldn’t take 🙂
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It was so much fun and often we were laughing at ourselves.
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It sounds like it was a fun outing. The photos you were able to take from the land are beautiful – I think the last one is my very favourite, but the sunset is coming close.
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I like the last photo too and also the first one, with all the kayaks on the beach. Thanks, Elaine.
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Your photos from the shore is quiet magical!
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I’m pleased you like them, Maria. The late afternoon light was perfect for photography.
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What a pleasant experience. But… how did you take the pictures? 🙂
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These photos were all taken either before or after the kayaking!
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Ahhh, that explains it. They are wonderful photos and I’m sure you would have liked to take more, but I would have been afraid to as well. 🙂
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I did think I might end up tipping over, but luckily Mr ET was steering at the back so it was all good.
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I worried about taking my camera with me when we went out on the water, but found I needn’t have worried. I loved kayaking. Can’t wait to do it again.
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I would love to do it again too.
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Oooo lala. Where was I in September and October this year? I’ve missed so many! Good to get caught up. Did you REALLY go out in a kayak? We did that one time in Monterey Bay. It was so cool, no sharks. We saw seals, I think.
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Yes, we both had our own kayaks. It was such a fun afternoon. I’m keen to have another go one day.
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Oooo la la. That would be soooo fun! 🤗🤗
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