Agincourt the Day Before the Eclipse

The day before the eclipse, the Dawn Princess stopped in Port Douglas and I got a chance to dive a second time at Agincourt Reef. The water quality was not what I remembered. It was heavily stirred up from multiple groups of discovery scuba divers and snorkelers. Quicksilver, charged with managing the reef, now restricts open water divers to the same small section as everyone else. Don't get me wrong; they are still a class operation, but the cruise ship tours do not get near the shelf or the pristine surrounding waters that I remember. Oh well, even the snorkeling area has 50 feet of visibility.

Picture uploads pending...

One other whine moment: the cruise ship passengers shared the platform with a snobby group of professionals and alumni from MIT in Port Douglas to see the eclipse. Let us just say a few noses look down on us humble amateurs. Ironically, we learned the next day that Port Douglas and Cairns were rained out. Many of those on board who encountered them had a gentle laugh upon hearing.