First visit to Malinoa for 2012

We woke to a picture perfect day so while Jodie got the kids ready Lyndon readied Blah Blah for our first Malinoa run of the year. Glass was the weather prediction. "Glass my arse" said Jodie and she was closer than the bloke at the weather station. But after a lumpy ride out we hit the beach and explored. Not long after we arrived a group of Manta rays came into the lagoon area. That's about the same time the camera battery died. Next in the bay was a reef shark cruising the shallows. We departed Malinoa and headed for a new Island Nuku but due to the tides we only made a sand cay just out of the island. Picture perfect and you could see 30+meters above and below the water. After that we headed back down Piha passage for lunch at Pangi before heading home.

 The kids had a ball in the small break on the boogie board. Lyndon was spewing it wasn't a few feet bigger as it wrapped around the tip of Malinoa.

 We managed to snap this one off before the battery died again but the kids thought the sand cay was straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean.

 As luck would have it the very next weekend was again picture perfect so we packed up the boats and the McKee's to head out again to Malinoa. This time we took three boats, the BBQ and a few beers.

 It was a day of comedy! First off Mal's trailer broke at the boat ramp, then Paul's boat blew out their anchor so he tied up to the back of Blah Blah but then she blew out the sand anchor after a forenoon of swell dragging two boats around.

 As soon as we had made it out to the island the team hit the water. Here with all three boats behind.

 The Quirke tribe and Blah Blah at Malinoa for the first of many joyful days out at the Island in 2012.

 Thanks to Mal and Karen who bought along the Baby Q (BBQ), it was real roughing it with prawns and bangers for lunch.

 As usual Lyndon went chasing fish with his fly rod. Three dart fell pray to the prawn fly.

 Blaise and Jess enjoying their first views of the Malinoa reef.

Lyndon did his best coral hugger impersonation and swam down to release the anchor after our final snorkel before heading home after a perfect day. This was of course followed by a debrief at the fishing club.