FANTOME ISLAND TO ORPHEUS ISLAND

From Fantome Island our next destination was Orpheus Island. Original plan was to anchor at Yanks Jetty but the SE wind and sell made it pretty unpleasant to we headed to Pioneer Bay which is also home to the marine research station from JCU (James Cook University).

With a few days of the same weather spent some time just relaxing with some drinks on the beach, a walk into the middle of the island and a trip to the research station to be shown around.

 

They even have a live webcam on the reef where you can watch the fish swimming around the coral (it is used for schools to have education on the reef)
https://www.jcu.edu.au/orpheus-island/discover

The bay is also the home to more than 3000 giant clams which were originally put there more than 30 years ago as part of a research PHD. We know this because we actually met the guy who started this when we are at the Cane Toad Races at the Arcadia Pub on magnetic island. At low tide you can drift your dinghy over the clams and see all the different colours as they are just below the surface.