We arrived today at Moreton Island. 

Moreton Island, located off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia, has a rich history spanning thousands of years.  The island played a significant role during World War II, serving as a coastal defense base with military fortifications such as the Rous Battery and Cowan Cowan Battery, which are still present today. After the war, Moreton Island became popular for recreational activities, including camping, fishing, and tourism.

One of the island’s most iconic features is the Tangalooma Wrecks, a group of ships deliberately sunk in the 1960s to create a breakwall and artificial reef, attracting marine life and snorkelers.

Today, Moreton Island is part of Moreton Bay Marine Park, known for its natural beauty, rich biodiversity, and cultural significance to the Quandamooka people, who continue to maintain a deep connection to the land and waters.

The captain announced this morning that the weather had deteriorated and the were had trouble with our shuttle boat docking to the ship, so that reverted to tenders.  He also said that the weather is forecasted to clear up later but the forecasts have been wrong so far.  Since we had a kayak tour scheduled and we had to meet on shore, we headed to the shuttle and it was pouring rain.  It was rough getting on the tender and during the boarding process one of the ropes broke and caused the tender to gyrate.  It took a while for the crew to get everything squared away and later today, the captain said that this was one of the roughest tender ports he had done.

Well we got off the tender on shore and it was pouring down rain.  We weren’t sure if the kayak tour would be cancelled or not and we had over to the check in desk.  The first kayak tour had been cancelled but they were hoping that the weather would clear up for the next one.  We were down to 3 couples as everyone else did not want to come.  We took a boat over to the wreck and they let us off on shore.  The rain had stopped by this point but were soaked through and through.  

Well, we finally made it to the Tangalooma Wrecks — 15 awesome ship wrecks that are home to a large variety of tropical reef fish, brightly-colored coral and other sea animals. These ships were scuttled by the Queensland Government between 1963 and 1984 to provide an area of safe anchorage for small watercraft on the eastern side of Moreton Island. Coral has now formed in and around the wrecks, providing an artificial reef and haven for marine life.  Visibility wasn’t great in the water as it had been stirred up by the rain and it was still very overcast.  A lot of people were snorkeling and kayaking around the wrecks.  We saw many varieties of fish and had a great time moving around the wreck.  

Then back to the shore and Nana really wanted to go snorkeling so we left our group and tried our hand at snorkeling the wreck.  Papa found the current very strong and quit early, Nana braved the current and went farther but didn’t get to see much due to the conditions.  We walked back along the beach and enjoyed the lack of rain.  

Tonight was Valentines night, and it was a formal dress night.  Papa wore his tuxedo and Nana a fancy dress.  You can tell we are newbies to the World Cruise as a lot of people had brought red outfits in anticipation of Valentines Day.  The night was capped off with a wonderful dance, where Nana and Papa danced the night away.

Tomorrow is another sea day and then Airlie Beach, Queensland, Australia.