A day trip to the outer reef on The Falla.
Written: Aug 29 '05 (Updated Oct 18 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great crew, small groups.
Cons: my pathetic attempt at snorkelling, rough weather
The Bottom Line: If you are considering a reef trip, I recommend a day on board The Falla
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| hollynz's Full Review: Great Barrier Reef |
When you are in Northern Queensland there really is one thing that you just have to do before you leave and that is to get close to the Great Barrier Reef. There are many ways of doing this … you can take a boat trip to the outer reef, you can go to one of the off-shore islands and snorkel off the beach, you can take a scenic flight, a glass bottom boat or a submersible, you can take your pick!
Herein lies the dilemma … of all the options out there, what one should we do?
We decided we would like to do a day trip to the outer reef but once again, we were inundated with options. We could do the exclusive (and costly) luxury versions, the roll-up, roll-up version where we jump on board with a hundred others, we could take a ferry to one of the off shore islands and do our own thing … the choices , packages and prices were endless.
We were chatting with Rob, the owner of the place we were staying at about it and he said he had just the thing. He handed us a brochure and said previous guests had done the trip and thoroughly enjoyed it. We checked out the brochure and it sounded good and the price was right so we tried our luck to see if we could book a trip for the following day.
Rob got on the phone straight away, made our reservations and said that he would take us down to the boat in the morning, no worries … great!
* The Falla *
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The brochure listed the highlights as follows:
* Welcome aboard tea and coffee
* 2 magnificent reef locations
* 4 hours on the reef
* Sumptuous tropical lunch
* Relax on pristine, sandy Upolu Cay
* All snorkeling equipment
* Personalized snorkeling and scuba diving demonstrations
* Reef interpretation talk followed by the world famous ‘Falla” snorkel tour
* Low passenger numbers – high crew ratio
* Complimentary wine and snacks
* Hands on sailing.
The Experience
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Rob dropped us off at the marina just after 8am and pointed us in the direction of finger nine where we would find The Falla moored. The departure time was 8:30 so we were nice and early. We wandered down the finger nine jetty but there was no Falla to be seen. Loads of other day trippers were boarding the big shiny launches, passenger ferries and luxury yachts and there was a small group of people gathering looking rather lost. An old, small wooden boat came into view and eased its way to the dock … this was it, The Falla. It looked a bit ragged around the edges, especially compared with all the shiny and new boats around it … hmmmm, nevermind, looks aren’t everything after all.
We were individually greeted by Doug, ( the skipper and owner of The Falla,) and greeted in a thick Irish accent by Emma, (asking if we would like tea or coffee) while the third and final crew member Elliot, ( from Sweden) looked after the payments, swiping credit cards was no hassle thankfully as we hadn't considered bringing much cash with us.
I was starting to have a problem with motion sickness already which was a worry, I quickly found somewhere to sit and stayed put, it was only a problem when I was standing thankfully.
The weather wasn’t the best and the forecast was even worse but it was meant to clear away in the afternoon. As we left the marina it was a bit overcast and windy but the worst weather was just off shore, we could see it and about an hour later we were in the thick of it. The wind was blowing, it was raining and the boat was pitching and rolling and bucking under us. As long as I was sitting I was fine and I adopted the look way into the distance means of dealing with the motion. Hubby was more comfortable standing but his exaggerated swaying motions were starting to make me a bit dizzy, after telling him my tactic of looking I into the distance he too found sitting more comfortable.
As we were slowly making our way out to the reef we were being passed from time to time by the big ferries and launches packed to the max with passengers. I was actually pleased that we had chosen the smaller boat.
The weather calmed down, the sun was out again and then we got to the reef. The sea color changed from deep dark blue to turquoise, then to aqua and we could see the shallow water and the rocks of the reef.
The crew had been busy prior to reaching the reef giving out snorkeling gear and getting those wanting to go diving sorted out. The scuba diving sounded interesting but I’m not quite ready to take that plunge yet. Novice divers were welcome to give it a go and there was a bit of an introductory course given to the newbie’s who were keen. Elliot was the diving instructor and took great care of the novices. As the ship had capacity guests onboard that day, about 30, the divers were broken into three groups. Elliot made sure to mix the newbie’s with those with a bit of experience so he could spend one-on-one time with the newbie’s underwater.
The rest of us were kitted out in snorkeling gear and off we went. I had to duck downstairs to get changed first, it hadn’t even occurred to me to put my swimsuit on under my clothes that morning, maybe it was just too early for me. I was glad to see that I wasn’t the only one needing to get changes. We had to take turns using the tiny toilet to change in, the boys just wrapped towels around them to change but of course, us girls wanted a tad more privacy.
The snorkeling would have been excellent had I managed to get my act together. I had all sorts of problems and ended up making my way back to the boat, slightly annoyed with myself for being so useless at it! Hubby made sure I was back on board before heading off for a a while.
There were four of us girls who didn’t manage to snorkel so Doug offered to take us over on the dinghy and we could view the reef via the handheld viewing glass. This was great, even though the colors were muted the blues and yellows came through quite clearly so at least we got to see something!
Lunch was served when we got back and consisted of cold cuts, seasoned chicken drumsticks and various green and pasta salads.
After lunch the boat headed over to Upolu Cay which we could see in the distance.
This was a gorgeous tiny white sand island that barely stuck out of the sea and was surrounded by sand and rocks. We were transferred to the cay by the dinghy but because there were so many passengers onboard today, it took four trips to get everyone over. We were a bit slow on the uptake and ended up in the last load and so our time on Upolu was very limited.
Once there, we headed off to do a bit of snorkeling just off the island and we were just getting into it when I looked up and noticed Doug waving us all back in … damn! I wasn’t sure what was up so made my way back to the cay having only glimpsed all the fish and corals just off shore.
When we got there, it transpired that Doug wanted to give us a presentation talk about the Great Barrier Reef and its formation. It was very interesting but I would really have preferred to still be in the water, actually looking at it!
After the talk it was all aboard the dingy and back to the boat. Those wanting to snorkel back to the boat were invited to join the Reef Tour. I thought snorkeling back would be fun but after setting out, I got quite tired quite quickly and as the tide had turned, the current had picked up a bit. Elliot was trailing the snorkelers and ready to help anyone needing assistance but I decided to head back, along with one other guy, and wait for the boat.
At least I got to see more fish before heading back to the boat, hubby went the whole way and reckoned it was well worth it. He even saw a sea turtle and a huge giant clam which he thought was pretty special.
*Homeward bound*
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The trip back was great, the sun was out but the sea was quite rough and I was enjoying being at the back, as the waves were crashing over the side we were getting covered in spray, it was great fun. If you wanted to keep dry, there was a covered area in the middle with roll down sides, most of the passengers were there staying out of the worst of the spray.
A huge platter of fruit was passed around and kiwifruit, pineapple and melons have never tasted quite so good. Much better than the salty Coral Sea spray that’s for sure. You could buy soft drinks and water or beer if needed.
As we neared the mainland, the rough sea abated and we went under sail, wine was passed around and platters of cheese and crackers, Doug invited us all to the front of the boat where he proceeded to entertain us, very well too, with tales about the history of The Falla.
The ship, a classic Australian Pearl Lugger, was built in Broome, on the west coast of Australia back in 1956.Doug had some great tales of the pearling days. She had a varied career before getting holed and sinking here in Cairns. She was basically doomed to scrap when the current owner, Doug, bought and restored it.
As we neared the marina the sun was setting, we had all had a fantastic day, we had enjoyed not only the trip but meeting and chatting to other passengers and the crew and all up, had had a fantastic experience.
The crew lined up on the dock and farewelled each and everyone of us with a handshake and thank you, we had just got off the boat and there was Rob, ready to take us back to our home from home.
When Rob asked how our day went, he was pleased to hear we had enjoyed ourselves. I am sure he will continue recommending this trip to future guests and if you are looking for a trip to take, I highly recommend it also!
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*Price*
$79 Adult
$49 Children (4-14)
$230 Family of 4
Children under 3 are free.
The boat is available for private charter and evening cruises – POA (prices on application)
* There is an added reef tax of $10 per person .
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Even though the price on the brochure stated $79 per person + $10 reef tax, we only paid $66 per person all up. I’m not sure whether that was because of the time of year or the fact that it was a full passenger day but we weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
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*Optional Extras*
Introductory Scuba Dive - $65
2nd Dive - $35
Certified Dive - $50
2nd Dive - $25
Snorkellers Wet Suit Hire- $5
Return transfers available from accommodation for $7 from the city and $14 from the Northern Beaches.
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24 Hour Booking and Enquiries 4041 2001.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
hollynz
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Member: Christine
Location: New Zealand
Reviews written: 144
Trusted by: 191 members
About Me:
~ In memory of Barbara ~
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