The salty spray coated my lips as the chilly wind buffeted our long red coats. The boat surged up and down in the rough ocean. Above us two albatross soared in the sky as dolphins leaped beside the boat, reveling in the waves rippling out us. The wilderness cruise along the Tasman Peninsula more than made up for the missed dolphins in Moorea as they stormy weather attracted a “super pod” of bottlenose dolphins. Although the guide seemed more impressed by the albatross in the sky.
Earlier in the day, we witnessed a spectacular sunrise during our sail into Port Arthur.
We anchored and took a tender in. As we walked off the dock, evergreens towered above us. We could see the old prison where inmates sent to work in Tasmania were kept.
Once on the bus, we had a beautiful scenic drive past beaches and forests to where our boat awaited us for a sail around the Tasman Peninsula.
The geologic formations were stunning. Caves dotted the cliffs that towered above us.
Many of the rock formations had special names like the “Candlestick”.
Many of the rock formations even had special names like the “Candlestick”.
We passed by lobstermen who proudly showed off their catch.
However, my favorite part of the cruise was the amazing wildlife. Before the finale of the dolphins and albatross, we saw gulls, several groups of black and white cormorants, seals, and the endangered White-Bellied Sea Eagle.
I had a hard time spotting the eagle at first as its nest was huge compared to the size of the eagle itself.
Finally, came the grand finale. We had a brief teaser when we glimpsed a few dolphins following another tourist boat. Then, as we admired the Candlestick, we found ourselves surrounded by bottlenose dolphins. Two albatrosses also flew above us hoping for some tasty fish to be stirred up by the dolphins.
After leaving Port Arthur, we did some scenic cruising at Cape Raoul and saw some more beautiful cliffs and rock formations.
That evening we arrived in Hobart. They were celebrating the Royal Hobart Regatta with fireworks in the harbor. We had an amazing view from our room! The loud boom announcing the beginning startled all the sea birds.
Video:
Comments