LIFE ON THE REEF - WHEN THE TOURISTS LEAVE

Kalina crew pictured from left to right: Jayson Cocks,  Tom Dann,  Robbie Creek and Dan Hill

Four men, a research vessel and the Great Barrier Reef! Read about our wonderful crew who live at Agincourt Reef.

It’s 1500 hrs in the afternoon and standing on the pontoon we wave goodbye to all the tourists on board Quicksilver VIII. This is our last contact with the outside world until tomorrow. Welcome to life for us, the “Kalina Boys”, 22 nautical miles offshore on Quicksilver Connections’ Pontoon.

We are the team who liv e at the reef, operating from our Research and Maintenance Vessel “M.V.Kalina” on Agincourt Reef. We represent the other side of tourism rarely seen. Those who work behind the scenes ensuring each day our visitors arrive, our vessels and pontoon are in working order and meeting Quicksilver’s professional standards.

The first thing that you notice when the tourists leave is the remoteness. The excitement of the day’s activities is replaced by the sound of the waves and wind in your hair.

With dive gear in hand, we jump on our tender and head out to one of the semi-submersible subs. We jump in, with brushes in hand to clean the underwater windows. Even window cleaning out here is an adventure.

As the sun begins to lower in the western sky lighting the evening clouds, our work is done. The brilliant blues of the day are replaced by the gold crimson and ochre colours of the setting sun over the distant mountains. As our ‘Sandgroper’ skipper begins to tell us how much better the sunsets are in Western Australia, he is cut short by the cry of “it’s knock-off time guys” followed by “how’s the serenity!”. With a cold drink in my hand and 360 degrees of uninterrupted view it’s hard to believe anywhere could be more beautiful than our backyard.

You soon realise that just because the visitors have left, nature does not stop putting on its awesome show. A large splash outside the wheelhouse gets our attention. The small reef fish that are plentiful during the day have all but disappeared and replaced by the top of the ocean food chain, sharks. Several fins can be seen out of the water, thrashing around looking for anything that may be edible. These are sights the tourists don’t get to see.

At times, life out here feels more like ‘Big Brother’ than a regular job. Four blokes stuck in the middle of the ocean with no way to escape. We must be co-workers, flat mates and most importantly, good friends. Work may be over but there is no choice to go home.

It’s 10pm and the generator is shut down for another night. As I lay my swag out for the night, you can’t help but notice the millions of stars in the sky. With no lights for miles away everything seems illuminated. I watch a satellite move through the night sky and realise that this not just a job, it’s our life. And I love it!

By Jayson Cocks