Had a really fantastic and exciting day, filled with some unbelievable experiences. We all woke up very early so that Lew could take us out to the edge of the cliffside to watch the sunrise, something we'd all been wanting to do. We got there at the perfect time, the sky looked like it was on fire the clouds looked so red. It was incredible. Soon the colors starting switching from red to orange to yellow, it was absolutely gorgeous. It's crazy just how much of the sky was turned into this beautiful array of colors, it seemed to go on forever, it was spectacular and very calming. Just to add to the amazing atmosphere, right as the sun started rising over the horizon, we saw two humpback whales! I guess they wanted to see the sunrise too. They were a little far way, but we could see them using their blowholes and sticking their fins out of the ocean; it looked like they were waving good morning to us. It was so cool to be able to watch the sun coming over the horizon as the whales swam below; very surreal. Directly below us was a giant saltwater "pool" (it was natural, but the way the rocks are, it looks like a pool, cause the water there is completely calm) called the Blue Pool because when the sun hits it, it shines an incredible shade of blue. Unfortunately since it was so cloudy, we didn't get to see it, but we didn't mind too much cause the clouds had looked so incredible with all the colors. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find the cord that connects my camera to the computer at the moment, so I'm using pictures other people have taken in the meantime. I'll put slideshows up with my own pictures later! I got a picture of the whales under the sunset, but if anyone else got one they haven't put them up yet.
After that we returned to the room to get our swimming suits on so that we could head off to our Narooma boat ride, where we would get to swim with some seals. We were all incredibly excited and couldn't wait to get out there. Sharon gave us all ginger tablets in case the water was rough, which turned out to be a huge mistake because a lot of the girls felt sick or dizzy after taking them, which was really weird. I was okay, but one of the girls was feeling really horrible for quite a while. Sharon swears they were ginger only, but we're not convinced. They also knocked the people who did take them out on the bus ride over, they were just passed out, to was really strange. Luckily, by the time we made it to the boat, the majority of people were feeling much better. We set off on our cruise, heading out to Montague Island, a little nature reserve about twenty minutes by boat. Unfortunately they're restoring the lighthouse so we couldn't actually come ashore, which stinks because there are little penguins living there. We got to see them from afar which was super cute, but it would have been nice to get to see them up close too. The boat was all kinds of cold, as the sun was still hidden behind all the clouds, and it was really windy, but we all still had a great time despite this. The waves were just big enough to make the ride interesting, with lots of fun rocking, without making anyone sick or too scared.
We cruised around the island very slowly as they talked a bit about it. It's technically two islands, formed by two separate volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago. There's a noticeable color change between the two different kinds of volcanic rock, one is very dark while the other is light gray. The seals like to hang out on the darker side of the island. Montague Island is home to two species of seals: the Australian fur seals and the New Zealand fur seals. The Kiwis are much lighter than the Australians, and have a much higher bark as well. After we'd gone around the whole island (stopping twice when we spotted some whales, but they stayed away and didn't come too close which was disappointing), we went back to where the Kiwi seals were all sitting on the rocks. They anchored the boat, gave us some wet suits to put on, as well as snorkeling masks and flippers and then told us we could jump right on in with them! The only warning they gave us was not to stick our fingers out in front of them (just in case any of them mistook them for food and tried to nibble them) and not to swim too close to the rocks where the seals were sitting in case any of them decided to jump in, as they weigh way more than us, and could seriously injure us. Ouch.
One by one we hopped off into the (cold) water. It took me a minute or two to get used to the snorkel, as it's been a while, but soon I was swimming around looking for the seals. It wasn't long before I saw one, directly underneath me, swimming along the bottom of the rocks. It was so graceful, and so quick! It was amazing! Soon more were coming in as well, jumping off off the rocks into the water. They looked like they were having a blast, twirling around and spinning in the water. It was so pretty! They had the biggest brown eyes, whiskers and eyelashes, that made their faces look almost human. I dove down into the water a bit to try and get a bit closer, and one swam directly at me, swerving away at the very last second. It was kind of terrifying, but also amazing. Some of them would swim around at the surface, with one fin sticking out of the water, which Matt (the boat captain) said they did to cool down. It was crazy to get to swim in their natural habitat with wild seals, they were so playful. I'll definitely never forget that image of them all swirling around below me, they looked like little dancers.
One by one we hopped off into the (cold) water. It took me a minute or two to get used to the snorkel, as it's been a while, but soon I was swimming around looking for the seals. It wasn't long before I saw one, directly underneath me, swimming along the bottom of the rocks. It was so graceful, and so quick! It was amazing! Soon more were coming in as well, jumping off off the rocks into the water. They looked like they were having a blast, twirling around and spinning in the water. It was so pretty! They had the biggest brown eyes, whiskers and eyelashes, that made their faces look almost human. I dove down into the water a bit to try and get a bit closer, and one swam directly at me, swerving away at the very last second. It was kind of terrifying, but also amazing. Some of them would swim around at the surface, with one fin sticking out of the water, which Matt (the boat captain) said they did to cool down. It was crazy to get to swim in their natural habitat with wild seals, they were so playful. I'll definitely never forget that image of them all swirling around below me, they looked like little dancers.
I wish we could have stayed longer, but the other girls were all getting cold and wanted to get out. I stayed in a little longer than everyone else, but it was definitely scarier all by myself in the water with a bunch of seals, so eventually I got out as well. They hoisted the anchor and started back for Narooma. We were all freezing at this point, with the cold temperature, the wind, and how wet we were, so we all started trying to change, which was made difficult by the rocking of the boat. We all managed to get our of our bathing suits and into our clothes without flashing anyone too badly. By the time we made it back to Naroooma, we all had blue lips and were shivering like crazy. All we wanted was a hot drink and a shower. Desperately. First, however, Sharon took us to see the apartment she and her husband are going to move to once they retire. It was beautiful, right on a cliff overlooking the wharf; we all wished we were staying there! We also got to meet her husband, Peter, who was incredibly friendly and very funny. Sharon and him have been married 40 years, and are absolutely adorable together. He came back to Bermagui with us and is going to stay with Sharon for the remaining days. Sharon's going to stay in Narooma with him when we all head back to Sydney, so it will probably be a pretty quiet bus ride back, with just us girls, Julianna, and Lew.
Once we got back, we all fought for the shower (I won, woohoo!). I didn't even turn the cold water faucet on at all, I just turned the hot water up and waited for myself to thaw out and feeling to return. I felt much better after that. Tori and I then went down to the local cafe to interview the lady about whales in the area, because Lew had said she had some good stories. Apparently, when the whales come back down South in September/October, they come to the inlet to rest, as it's not deep enough for Killer Whales to perform their hunting techniques, so it gives them a time where they can relax in peace. There have been times when there's so many of them that she said they look like logs out in the water, and you could walk across them like a bridge (not that they do). Sometimes it gets so bad she said the boats can't get out of the wharf. We got a hot chocolate while we were there, just to make sure we were fully warmed up.
Once we got back, we all fought for the shower (I won, woohoo!). I didn't even turn the cold water faucet on at all, I just turned the hot water up and waited for myself to thaw out and feeling to return. I felt much better after that. Tori and I then went down to the local cafe to interview the lady about whales in the area, because Lew had said she had some good stories. Apparently, when the whales come back down South in September/October, they come to the inlet to rest, as it's not deep enough for Killer Whales to perform their hunting techniques, so it gives them a time where they can relax in peace. There have been times when there's so many of them that she said they look like logs out in the water, and you could walk across them like a bridge (not that they do). Sometimes it gets so bad she said the boats can't get out of the wharf. We got a hot chocolate while we were there, just to make sure we were fully warmed up.
The motel we're staying at has a huge outdoor grill, so we had a big group barbecue. We all helped cook some sausage, lamb, potatoes, onions, and chicken kebobs. Everything was amazing, but it was also a lot of meat! It was really fun, but some of the girls drank too much and were incredibly giggly. Lew talked to me a lot, and kept telling me scary animal stories. Tonight the focus was on fennel web spiders, which sound super scary: they make holes in the ground, cover them in spiderwebs to try and trap things, and are incredibly mean and poisonous. No thank you. After dinner we all went to the pub. Most of the girls got completely stressed, which really isn't my thing so that wasn't as fun for me, and they got really loud, which I really don't like cause everyone in the whole bar ends up staring. We did see the bartender who was there yesterday though with the snail, and she came and talked with us when she got off work. She was super sweet! She's 22, and fresh back from Melbourne. She was dating the very attractive bartender, which was adorable. She said she would be in again tomorrow, so if we do end up at the pub again, we can hang out with her again. Some of them then went to the beach to drink with some guys they met, but I decided to call it quits and go to bed, because there was enough of them that I didn't feel like I needed to watch over them. I heard them all come back so I knew they made it back okay, but they woke up this morning with major headaches. They said they wanted to make tonight even bigger since it's our last night, but I honestly don't think that's possible. I'd also rather just go to the pub and hang out, but they'll probably get super drunk again. Oh well. Can't believe tomorrow is our last day! This trip has flown by, but when I think back to the first day it also feels really far away. It will be nice to get back into Sydney again for sure though.