The day had finally come to leave for Heron Island. I was a little sad to leave the Gladstone Backpackers hostel, but it was only temporary as I'll be back on June 9th. The ferry ride went by fairly quickly. It was interesting to watch how, as we left the mainland and headed towards the island, nearly only water was surrounding us. The wind over the ocean and from the speed of the ferry was rather strong. This ended up causing Brynn's jacket to blow up like an airbag and I'm not sure why but it cracked me up so much. Nothing else too significant happened during the ride, but the excitement grew as the island approached.
The hostel setup was a lot better than I expected and there was plenty of space for me to actually empty out my suitcase and set up a spot for my clothes, toiletries, and other random crap. It looks like we'll be living in rather comfortable conditions during our stay. Not to mention that already the lunch and dinner we've had have both really hit the spot. Pat is the cook here and while I haven't talked to him much I would die for him. We ended up doing an afternoon snorkel which was absolutely amazing. It was cool to finally be able to spot and see all the species of echinoderms, coral, and fish we have to study for our ID test out in their natural habitat. As we were headed back to the shore Cat spotted a turtle. We were able to follow it for a bit as it swam over the ocean floor before finishing our return to shore. We also went out onto the dock and watched the stunning sunset as it settled below the ocean horizon. More turtles, a black tip shark, and a ray were spotted as we hung out on the jetty. Afterwards it was dinner which once again was incredible. The first day was spectacular and left me looking forward to the days left to come along with the many great memories to be made.
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