A lot of off and on rain and wind today. Between one of the calmer weather periods I did a kayak on Terrigal Lagoon.
The water was just just deep enough to paddle to the western part of the lagoon where there two small natural tributaries. Once in this area the trees blocked the wind an the water became glassy and reflective. The only water movement was the slight wake of my kayak. I paddled slowly here soaking in the quietness. There were also a number of submerged logs and overhanging vegetation to maneuver around as well.
I backtracked along the shallow channels and paddled towards Terrigal Beach. I beached on the beach and wandered down to the shore and watched the small crisp waves breaking on the shallow sandbank. The waves were too fast and small to surf but they ere enjoyable to watch.
I checked
the surf and ended up a hike around the rocks at Terrigal Haven.
I started
with a coffee and a walk along the Haven beach. Feeling more encouraged, I got
the camera gear out of the van and set off along the rocks.
The tide
was low, the rocks were dry, the wind was brisk and the waves were of a medium
height. There was no one else about on the rocks. Nice!
I wandered
around in an aimless way - checking out the waves crashing and spraying along
the rocks, looking into shallow, clear rock pools for signs of life and gazing
at the various rock formations. Though aimless, I was taking care in
potentially slippery sections and the possibility of a rogue wave.
A surf check at North Avoca Beach
was a bit disappointing wave wise but the sunrise was powerful and pretty.
I drove a short distance to Avoca
Lagoon and had a short kayak.
The lagoon was reflective, serene
and bird calls filled the senses. I sighted a number of birds - ducks,
cormorants, herons, swallows, pelicans, swamp hens and plovers. The highlight
of the birds as the young swallow that was roosting on a vertical branch
surrounded by shallow water. The mother swallow would appear regularly and feed
the young one while she was in flight. So pretty.
A short paddle later, I notice a
flip type of movement in the base of the reeds on the edge of the shore. It was
a large prawn. Surprisingly, it was out of the water and trying to blend with
the reeds. If it wasn't for the movement earlier, I would never had seen it. It
gradually and cautiously returned to the water.
Another short paddle, I saw a
large eel entwined around a submerged branch. I was paddling a little fast at
the time so by the time I stopped and turned around it had moved on.
I had a large hole in my kayak
after my last paddle and at the end of this paddle there was only a small
amount of water in the kayak. My repair job was successful for the time being.
I checked the surf again but there
was little encouraging improvement.
I continued on to Terrigal Haven
and had a snorkel in front of the rocks of the rockpool. The visibility was
okay but there was a lot of sand movement so the underwater photos weren't
successful. The grains of sand in the water distract the camera from focusing
on the subject. I did manage to get a bit of videoing. The sand doesn't seem to
cause problems with videoing. :)
While I was looking around, some
guy in the water approached me. Now, when you are in the water looking at the
bottom and someone unnoticed touches you to get your attention, you tend to
nearly leap bodily out of the water. He told me there was a turtle in the water
and if I see it would I call him. Perhaps, I thought.
The water was still a little chilly
so I had a cappuccino, read a book and sat in the sun until my body warmth
returned.
A hot day predicted for the
beginning days of Spring.
Still with this virus, I decided
on a short hike/meander around Toowoon Bay.
It never ceases to amaze me on
how different this place looks every time I visit. The shape of island and
changing swells cause the sand to move in a variety of directions. Today, there
was a shallow sandbank on the end of the beach towards the island plus a deep
channel between the beach and the island.
The sun was twinkling on the
water, the swell was small. the weather was warm and it all added up to a
pretty and scenic walk.
After the walk I had coffee at
the Toowoon Bay surf club.
The wind had increased
dramatically so we only had a short walk. We amused ourselves watching a
pelican trying to land on the top of a lamp post. It took four attempts before
it as successful.
It was a brilliant, sunny Sunday so the beach was crowded and the water was crowded with swimmers, sups, boats, fishermen, snorkelers and divers.
Still the water looked inviting and no one was out near the point.
The water visibility was poor inshore but improved further out. There were schools of small colourful fish and some larger fishes which blended in with the sand, rocks or weed.
As I was coming into shore, a pelican did a skid landing on the boat ramp. I thought it looked pretty cool.
It's been awhile since my last snorkel so it was enjoyable.
The skies were clear and blue and the temperature warm.
Jacinta and I drove over to Avoca and parked in Avoca Beach
carpark near the surf lifesaving club.
We walked along the path then down the rocky path to the
shore platform around Avoca Point. It was a bit slippery in parts with a few rock
pools. The rock formations were interesting. The cliffs were staggering high
when up close and personal. The thought of rocks falling were very realistic.
Just where the platform ended there were a few steps at the base of the cliff
around a narrow bend. A small cave was gouged into the base of the cliff by
wave action and rock falls.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
