Sunset Kayaking

image Damiano Visocnik_used with permission
I've been out of action for several months and I was eager to return to kayaking. I had some concerns about my paddle fitness and skills. Afer a solid day paddling, testing my rolling and messing around in small waves, I felt strong and happy. Heading out in the evening with Gnarlydog to enjoy the sunset, was the perfect way to end the day.

Special Dolphin Sighting

Playing in rough water off Bribie Island in Moreton Bay, I noticed a strange looking dolphin jump out of the water and flip onto its back not far from me. I quickly paddled over to have a closer look, but it had disappeared. There are at least 8 dolphin species recorded in Moreton Bay so it is not uncommon to see them when paddling in the area. However since the Brisbane floods, visible marine activity has been minimal so I was quite excited by the close sighting.

used with permission_Ken Douglas
A short time later, as we continued to play, the same thing happened again. This time Gnarlydog also saw the dolphin and pointed out that it wasn't a dolphin, but a shark approx 4 - 5 ft long. It was quite dark on top with a white belly. The obvious difference was the blunt or stubby head.

Bull shark in 1m water_Alkok_used with permission
I did not feel overly concerned as the shark showed very little interest in us and while some rolling was going on, we were mostly above water in our kayaks. We continued playing for another hour or more, the shark splashing occasionally before disappearing altogether. I was keen to find out what type of shark it was as I had never seen one jump out of the water like that, especially so close to us. I contacted shark expert Valerie Taylor to ask her opinion:

Shark Conservationist and Underwater Film Maker Valerie Taylor AM
Tess
You have just described an average shark. Nearly all have white or pale stomachs and are darker on top. The blunt head sounds like a bull shark and they will jump out of the water. I have seen it several times. Do not ever get in the water when the vis is down. Predatory sharks hunt by sight and vibration. Lacking hands, if they cant see something splashing around in the water they can and often do investigate the unusual by biting. You were quite safe in your kayak specially if staying still like a log. Female Bull sharks at this time of the year are swimming into the harbours and rivers to pup. They do this so the males don't eat the new born sharks. The baby sharks will stay in the inland waters until they are big enough to hold their own in the ocean.
Regards Valerie Taylor ***

Bull Shark_Delusion Productions_used with permission
***Interview with Valerie and Ron Taylor

Under Threatening Skies

While others were fighting for bargains at post-Christmas sales, or staying out of the wet weather on their couches at home, I was itching to get my kayak wet.

The only post-Christmas “sale” I was interested in involved using my Flat Earth kayak “sail”. Unfortunately the forecast was for heavy rain instead of wind, so I left the sail at home, grabbed my GP and Gnarlydog and launched under threatening skies.

In contrast to the sky, the bay was calm and unusually devoid of boats. My body relaxed into the familiar rhythm of the forward stroke; the only sounds the occasional splash of the paddle and the ‘tic tic tic’ of rain hitting the brim of my hat. A feeling of peace enveloped me. It was 6 years to the day since I first took up sea kayaking.

Approaching the reef surrounding of our destination, the water line was clearly higher than usual, with the incoming flow encroaching on the usually dry land. The king tide was flooding the small protected bay with warm, clear water providing perfect conditions to practice sculling and rolling.
Taking advantage of the rare water height, we weaved a path over the submerged beach through mangroves and shrubs, inaccessible at other times. Small sandstone cliffs were reminiscent of the coastline in North Queensland, the pink colours a contrast against the surrounding dark foliage.
This rainy day exploration had left me with the feeling of a remote experience in my own backyard bay.

Humpback Whale Graveyard - Mud Island

Media reports of the EPA (Environment Protection Agency) towing 3 humpback whale carcasses to Mud Island, close to Brisbane to decompose, has generated keen discussion in the local community.

With limited information and experience in the disposal of dead whales, sea kayakers and boaties alike have been pondering the cause of death and the wisdom of the EPA's Moreton Bay choice of final resting place for these mammals.

What happens to whales as they decompose?

Would the placement of the humpbacks on Mud Island encourage large sharks to the area?

Are there benefits to the environment?

Without a degree in marine science I can only join in the speculation.
Could the humpback whales demise simply be the normal course of nature, which we all now witness 'as it happens', as part of our overpopulated, media saturated world?
Could it be more sinister, as some suggest, and be related to the poor water quality of Australia's east coast, perhaps even linked to the Moreton Island oil spill?


Kate, a well known local sea kayaker, hazarded a solo visit to Mud Island to see what the fuss is about. As you can see from the images (taken on mobile phone cam), there are no white pointer fins breaking the whale fat slick floating on the water.

Kate saw only one whale as the foul stench of decomposing matter was so strong that it quickly drove her from the island. She didnt bother with a circumnavigation to search for the other whales and paddling away, Kate noticed her paddle blades and kayak were now coated with a pungent fatty residue.


Back on land transporting her now greasy Nadgee by trolley, Kate wondered if she would encounter the local dingo, drawn by the smells permeating her kayak as she walked home through the streets.

An experienced solo sea kayaker who has extensively kayaked the eastern coast of Australia, Kate had never encountered a problem like this.

Consideration was given to the merits of using kitchen degreasers, metholated spirits and kerosense to remove the grease and smell of decomposing whale fat.
The decision to try metholated spirits first proved to be sufficient, although Kate is sure there is a lingering 'odour' to her kayak.

Within days of Kates visit, the whale carcasses were no longer to be found at Mud Island. What happened to them remains as much a mystery to this kayaker as why they were taken there in the first place.
All images by Kate Yeomans_used with permission

Update - 26th September 2010
12 months on, Vanilla, Gnarlydog and I revisted Mud Island. Full post and images here - Mud Island Humpback Whales revisited