Wilson Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia; April 2009
Unless you are distracted by the brilliant white of the sand or the jewel-like blue ocean, you might be wondering why I’m wearing a sock on one foot.
This is a cautionary tale. For those of you who were hoping for photos of baby turtles as a sequel to the turtle tracks post last week, I’m afraid I’m going to hold out on you for just a little while longer.
Picture the scene. Imagine yourself on beautiful Wilson Island, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. You are sharing the island with a dozen others, staying in luxurious tents (canvas cabins really) and being plied with fabulous food and free-flowing booze. It’s sunset and Linda, one of your two lovely hosts, is serving champagne and nibbles at the beach.
Perfection. Well, not quite. You are a nature lover so it’s missing one vital ingredient. This is a turtle nesting beach, it’s hatching season, and it’s the right time of day for hatching. You’re really hoping you might see some baby turtles and you’ve already meandered up the beach and failed to spot any. You’re enjoying a drink and admiring the view when you hear a shout from a fellow guest. She’s at the other end of the beach and she’s spotted a clutch of hatchlings crawling madly to the sea.
What do you do? If you’re me, you run. You don’t want to miss the turtles! What’s more there are seagulls circling overhead and you don’t want them to eat the turtles. (You can’t actually intervene since it’s a national park but waving your arms around and yelling “shoo” is reasonably effective).
Big mistake. I was wearing thongs (flip flops). The beach was strewn with rocks and coral, bleached white in the sun. It’s dusk. Can you guess what happened next?
That’s right. I stubbed my toe on the rocks.
Howling with pain but determined not to miss the turtles, I hobbled to the end of the beach. They were so cute! I was amazed how they could navigate such big obstacles – generally by going under rather than over rocks. I followed one little guy (or gal) who took the long way around, going to the ocean diagonally and traversing about 30 metres sideways in the process. I’m pleased to report he (or she) made it.
Meanwhile, I realised my toe was bleeding. I went back to the main tent to get a good look at it under the light. It was the second toe on the left foot. It took me a while to notice because I had pink nail polish on my other toes and the colour matched, but it turned out the nail had actually come clear off the toe! (Photo here if you want the gory details). It didn’t actually hurt that much – until we had to clean the sand out of the wound.
That was day 2 of six days at Wilson Island and it was my honeymoon so there was no way I was going to let this stop me having a good time. After the initial shock, it hurt a lot less than you might expect – maybe there are fewer nerve endings in that particular toe, not being the big toe and all.
I went snorkelling twice a day – first dressing the toe with betadine and a bandaid, then putting cling film over the top, then a sock, then the flipper. It kept my toe surprisingly dry and didn’t hurt. I made the best of it and it makes a good story now – but obviously I would have preferred it hadn’t happened.
The moral of the story is walk, don’t run. Even when baby turtles are involved.
This is today’s submission to Photo Friday, a weekly blogging event run by Debbie of Delicious Baby. Please check out all this week’s submissions from other travel bloggers.
I am sorry you hurt yourself but it was a good teachable moment!
We have one like this where my mother fell in Yosemite…not the best place to have a sprained ankle! The 2nd photo from the bottom is absolutely beautiful!
Yes the price to pay for seeing the amazing little turtles. It’s also amazing how they find their way back, no matter what, and with all the predators waiting for them, they still somehow survive.
The picnic looked so lovely and romantic! Even with a bloody toe, I’m sure your honeymoon was great:)
Photo Friday – Ex Prison Turned Children’s Museum
Ouch!
Cute story! Of course you went running. I have always wanted to see baby turtles up close.
Hilarious!
You’re a brave lady.
Engaging post! The colors are brilliant and it’s quite a story. I also recall having some travel accidents involving toes & feet & sand & bandages (over volcanic rock & sea urchins), but the saltwater snorkeling seemed to be good for it! So was the extra cocktail later that evening.
Tim was just asking me the other day how people could wear flip flops all day or for long walks…
Your tale reminds me to wear something a little more sturdy on my feet if I wander down the beach a bit
Glad you were able to see the turtles anyway (so you didn’t hurt your toe for nothing!) and are no worse for the wear now.
No worse for wear? I’m still missing a toe nail but it’s growing back!
Flip-flops are ideal for the beach – if you put something ‘a little more sturdy’ on your feet you’ll probably find that they quickly fill up with sand. Most beaches are just sand and are not covered with rocks and coral like this one. Also, I think they’re fine if you are just wandering around – the danger only comes if you run.
As for wearing them all day, I think it really depends what you are doing. They don’t give much support so they’re not ideal for long walks or standing up for long periods of time. But if you are just taking short walks and doing a fair bit of sitting or swimming, then they’re perfect beach holiday wear. At least that’s my experience. – Caitlin.
the one sock was the first thing i noticed!
Caitlin, congratulations on your recent wedding, and what a beautiful place for a honeymoon!
I’m pretty uncoordinated so I can sympathise – this is the kind of thing that happens to me.
I’m sure the toenail will have sorted itself out by now and seeing hatchlings would make up for the pain and inconvenience (there’s no way I’d miss out on snorkeling either).
OH GEEZ!! That looks SO painful! :S
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