I woke up early and had a cool shower, and made it out to get to the shop so I could buy some water, as I had yet to replace the bottle I left in Sydney train station.
When I got back I noticed that Rose was still asleep, and as she had mentioned needing to leave at 6, I woke her up to say "It's half past 6". The response was a more colourful version of "I know ... ... Oh dear that can't be right!".
I went down to wait for the pick up for the morning's kayaking, and found a place to sit in the sun. I soon changed my mind though, as some ants decided that my foot looked tasty, so I went back to waiting in the shade instead.
Rose emerged and came to thank me for waking her, announcing she had to be in Broadbeach to open a store for 7am, so was very late - she had also just missed the team, so called an Uber, who happened to be very close to the hostel so he arrived almost straight away.
Shortly afterwards the minibus arrived with the kayaks, and I got in, to meet the rest of the group.
We made it to the boat slip, and got the noes ready, and I was paired up with Maddie from Hobart in the south of Tasmania. The first order of business was for the guide to ensure we all knew how to paddle the kayaks - as there was a couple there who had never done any kayaking.
With that out of the way, we paddled over to wave break island - an artificial sand island that was created to protect the main coastal buildings from the sea swell. From there we paddled over to the south end of South Stradbroke Island, where we pulled the canoes up , and crossed over to enjoy the beach n the east side of the island.
The surf here looked even better than the surf at the beaches that I was at yesterday, and as we headed back to the canoes, some surfers appeared as if they had picked up on the vibes.
While at the beach, I met Eva from Shanghai, and Wong (sp?) from New Zealand, both of whom are living in New Zealand. They asked if I could be the person steering for Eva, as she felt more comfortable having a guy doing that, since she had never Kayak'd before.
Maddie and I were happy to accomodate them with the swap, so with the new pairings we headed back to the kayaks. The guide advised Eva and Wong and myself that this time of year was a high risk for jellyfish so that it was not a good time to go snorkelling at the barrier reef - so I'll have to ask the operator regartding that.
Wave Break Island was the location for breakfast, so we kayaked back there, and then I learned a new trick for eating cereal from the variety packs - you can open the plastic pouch just at the top and use that to pour the milk in - boom - instant cereal, no washing up apart from a spoon!
After breakfast, we went snorkelling. I had to take my glasses off for this, so I wasn't able to see very clearly through the water, though the guide did sprinkle some fish food to start with so there were a lot of fish, though as it was so busy in the area with multiple people snorkelling/diving and lots of boats, the fish soon dispersed. It was a great experience still though, and the water temperature was just right for swimming in.
I discussed possible solutions to my vision issues with the guide, nd he advised it was possible to get prescription masks, or I could wear contacts, or could use my existing prescription goggles and a pince-nez.
After the snorkelling, it was time to head back to the mini bus, so we followed the edge of the island round to the lee side, and crossed the channel. As soon as we could see the beach, Eva seemed to get a new wind, and paddled faster, though less accurately, so I got a lot wetter on that last leg!
When I got back to the hostel, I had had such a good taste of the swimming aspect that I decided I would try out body boarding on the beach by the hostel.
I re-applied the full set of sun block, and then made some lunch so that I wasn't starving for the adventure!
I made it to the beach clutching the free loan of the body board, and located the area of the beach that was being monitored by a coast guard. I noticed a sign though that said no surf equipment in the area, so I went to the coast guard just to check, and he confirmed that the foam board was gine, it was full surf boards that were not allowed.
It was quite an eye opener to o wading in to the sea with the surf, and I found it quite difficult to stay in between the area with the flags, as the current from the waves kept sweeping me along the beach. It was great fun trying to figure out how to judge the waves to ride the surf back down the waves. I don't think I really properly got it, but I definitely had a blast!
I lazed on the beach for a bit after that then headed back to the hostel at around 4, having a shower and then making up some kangaroo burgers and veg for dinner.
I spent the last bit of the evening making sure that my stuff was ready for a speedy exit in the morning, as I wanted to get some time in Brisbane before the flight. While I was doing this, Rose appeared back from work in order to collect her belongings, which she had left in the room in her haste to get out (she had been moved between rooms again).
Just before i fell asleep, there was a brief rain shower, so i rescued everyone's clothes from outside where they had been left to dry.