lord howe fun dive (jan 20-29, 2020)/ intro

旅程overview

-jan 20, 2020 (day 1) : 香港 (hkg) --> 飛往悉尼機場 (sydney/syd) (住 : 飛機上) 

-jan 21, 2020 (day 2) : 轉飛豪勳爵島機場 (lord howe/ ldh) --> walk around --> lagoon beach --> ned's beach --> bowling club (住 - hideaway apartments)

-jan 22, 2020 (day 3) : middle beach --> am fun dive (2) --> thompson's store --> ned's beach --> anchorage (住 - hideaway apartments)
-jan 23, 2020 (day 4) : am fun dive (2) --> ned's beach (住 - hideaway apartments)
-jan 24, 2020 (day 5) : am fun dive (2) --> coral cafe  --> ned's beach --> beach house on moon (住 - hideaway apartments)
-jan 25, 2020 (day 6) : am fun dive (2) --> ned's beach --> anchorage (住 - hideaway apartments)
-jan 26, 2020 (day 7) : am fun dive (2) --> beachcomber (住 : hideaway apartments)
-jan 27, 2020 (day 8) : mount gower climb --> coral cafe (住 : hideaway apartments)
-jan 28, 2020 (day 9) : middle beach --> ned's beach --> 飛往悉尼機場 (sydney/syd) (住 : 機上)
-jan 29, 2020 (day 10) : 轉飛香港 (hkg)


點解會揀lord howe???💭💡💡

2017喺fb見到人share呢張相....................d水好清好靚...................有我最鍾意嘅different shades of greens & blues..................真喺好世外桃園feel................我screenshot咗張相keep住

aug 2018 explore喺有得潛水...................有間dive shop喺tripadvisor嘅口碑仲好好.................佢email比我詳細介紹個海會睇到咩 (of course not guarantee...........d生物唔接受預約😹😹😝).................寫得好吸引......................所以我決定去................2019 schedule唔到...............所以就今年啦!..................每年最good喺dec-feb落海................否則又要等1年

fun dive package

-喺tripadvisor度見到pro dive..............佢reply又快又detail.................喺lord howe唔多dive shop operator..............所以我就engage咗pro dive....................買咗個10 dives package (aud 800)
-要upfront比晒$$$$.................佢收credit card.................所以no issue
-我開初target 1日3潛................預咗突就到時credit card settle (已verify咗pro dive accept visa/ master)

機票

去lord howe................可以喺sydney (好似day day有幾班機)或者brisbane (逢weekend先有機)飛過去................暫時只有qantas先有機去lord howe..............咁你就可以想像到機票唔會平

為咗-低👛負擔...............我有explore過用am換條來回hkg <--> syd嘅✈票.................但要用到好多分先換到我要嘅日子.............同時如果我只買qantas來回syd <--> ldh嘅✈票...............就平得幾1000蚊................唔抵...............咁多分先值嗰幾1000蚊

重要考慮喺如果去syd班機有咩delay................miss咗去lord howe班機.................qantas喺唔會負責免費保到你上next lord howe嘅機

nov中後, 2019.................已捕咗~1個week價$$$$..................價$$$$只見到上漲緊................突然1日第1程prem econ做緊promotion (其餘3程喺econ)................但要早1日出發...................我寧願將慳嘅$$$$住多1晚lord howe................玩多1日................咁就喺qantas出晒成條飛 (hkg prem econ [有40 kgs] --> syd econ --> ldh econ --> syd econ [有30 kgs] --> hkg).....................成為hk$12,091/人..............🙈🙈🙈


酒店

我估唔到間間住宿都咁x貴 (general要hk$2,000+/晚)...............之前我有問過pro dive有邊間budget d嘅住宿.............佢提議過hideaway apartments...............尤其solo traveler

我買咗機票先直接 (d popular訂酒店平台book唔到) approach hideaway問價問期....................要aud 170/晚....................都有check similar level嘅住宿................hideaway喺最平


lord howe簡介

-我無諗過呢個地方咁獨特.................只當佢喺1個hidden gem嘅潛水地方...............直至出發前1-2個星期...................越來越發現得多.................你想像唔到1個developed國家內嘅1個小島.................會有咁多限制...................去過先知原因.......................因為當局好有心n committed要保育呢個島....................繼續喺雀鳥天堂 (好多珍貴品種)
-https://www.lordhoweisland.info/
-全個島(唔喺1,2個景點)被列入為世界文化遺產..................所以好高保育價值
-個島嘅highlight喺雀同landscape
-嗰段時間燒到含含聲嘅澳洲山火...........幸好吹唔到去lord howe............1d影嚮都無
control
-75%of個島喺保護區 - park preserve同marine park
-呢度喺睇雀嘅天堂.................會有季鳥突登飛嚟繁殖................當局喺繁殖月份會封1 d島唔比人上
-有400遊客嘅人數管制................我1直唔知當局點樣monitor..............上去上面條link................就見到lord howe只有400床宿available...............好聰明,唔洗發permit............唔洗用manpower去mon...............亦都明白點解lord howe嘅住宿會咁貴
-呢個島都有車輛數量管制..................就算居民都要以1換1..................先可以import架車入島..............所以遊客都喺踩單車/徒步
2大eradication projects
-為咗保住lord howe嘅biodiversity................當局可以去得好盡.................行緊2項超長期嘅除根programs
i) weed eradication project (wep) - 長達30年嘅除雜草行動
ii) rodent eradication project (rep) - 滅鼠行動..................淨喺research, feasibility study, health risk assessment同consultation都用咗>10年
flights
-暫時只有qantas link喺sydney (most days)同brisbane (weekend)有機去lord howe..................另外port macquaire有包機去
-去lord howe嘅機嚴厲control行李重量.................check in只有14 kg + hand carry 7 kg/人.................我執行李前無意中上網見到...............我嘅online check in上見到qantas比我14 kg + 9 kg................原來個2nd check in luggage就喺當standby/excess bag..............有機會上唔到同1班機
-出lord howe嘅機................可能比較full…………連人都要上埋磅計重量大數
peak season
-general : dec - apr
internet
-全個島無手提電話................所以唔洗買sim card去
-居民以固網電話.............要裝satellite internet............用lan線上網...................總之就喺未發明電話前嘅生活
-食肆都無wifi
住
-住宿喺好貴....................而且喺無冷氣..................風扇都要貴房room type先至有...............very harsh.............hahahaha
-每間accommodation都會提供機場接送服務
食肆
-要留意食肆嘅營業時間................有d只做lunch.............有d只做dinner............有d只做take away.............就算喺peak season..............都唔喺日日開..............淡季時..............佢哋會夾好輪住休業.............全島只得anchorage會開足全年
-食肆dinner全部要book.............唔好walk in............除非間餐廳好大
-食肆唔會有free wifi
-要high end少少嘅食肆先會收咭
-完咗dinner...............每1間食肆都會送你返accommodation
溫度
-呢段時間比我想像中熱...................尤其日日都無落雨..................我諗住1早1晚會好涼..............但都唔喺
-陽光爘爛時都唔會有burning skin feel............只喺暖熱...............唔喺hing
daily life in lord howe
-d shops好早~4pm就收
-全個島嘅物資supplies靠每2個星期船運1次入嚟
-全個島好乾淨,冶安超級良好…………完全可以放低d財物走開…………門都唔洗鎖
-全個島嘅居民同遊客都過住好寧靜好relax嘅生活...................所以如果慣咗出門旅行講嘢大大聲嘈嘈閉的...................請不要去..................唔好失禮人................免得破壞居民同大自然嘅和諧................雀仔🐦喺有耳仔架~~~


lord howe交通

呢度無巴士.....................
1) 主要靠踩單車+徒步
2) 租車/綿羊仔availability唔多...................相信都幾貴
3) taxi service
4) accommodation嘅接送 (airport transfer).....................我嗰間會車埋我去dinner食肆

best diving season

-dec - jan & feb-apr (但~dec 18 - jan 20喺school holidays..................介時機票同住宿會好貴)
-呢段時間個海喺
"serviced by two temperate currents from the Tasman Sea in the south and one tropical current that is fed from the East Australian Current. By December I would expect the blue tropical water to be the dominant water current feeding the island. When this happens we get incredible visibility averaging 30M - 40M. Water temperatures are usually around 23 - 24 degrees.

On this warmer tropical current we get many visitors from the Great Barrier Reef to the north as well as huge schools of pelagic fish such as Yellow Tail Tuna and Barracuda. For the macro lover the sea floor is covered with a plethora of soft corals, hard corals, nudibranch, wrasse, crustations, crayfish and cowry shells. On any one of our dives you are likely to see Galapagos Whaler Sharks, Bull Stingrays, Half Banded Angel Fish, Three striped Butterfly Fish, The endemic Double Header Wrasse and Mc Culloch Anemone Fish as well as Kingfish, Amberjack, Trevally, Huge schools of Pacific Drummer and Yellow Tail Snapper.

During this time of year it is also likely that we will be able to make a trip to Balls Pyramid. This is a separate volcanic sea stack that is located 15nm to the south of Lord Howe Island. It is beyond breathtaking and the visibility is always a few meters clearer than Lord Howe Island itself"
-iconic dive site : ball's pyramid................喺所有divers'嘅目標.................通常我呢段時間.................1個week都應該可以出到1次團................但我比較唔好彩..................有個唔知咩current整整occupy我嗰個week...............所以出唔到團..................網上搵嚟嘅相.............齋睇個landscape都cool到爆啦!!!💜
-btw, ball's pyramid都喺睇雀熱點

買data sim card

我出發前問dive shop....................個島邊個telecom operator好d................先知成個島無mobile phone....................唔會收到手機signal..............即喺唔洗買

時差

香港慢lord howe 3 hrs

唱$$$$ summary

今次唔洗唱....................因為第1次online remit $$$$比hideaway攪錯咗 (滙錯1次要比2邊手續費好高)................等唔切d $$$$退番嚟 (因要鬥快比$$$$留房)就滙過第2次.....................所以我戶口有第1次remit嘅退款夠今次用

travel insurance

今次買zurich

出發前準備

1) electronic travel authority (eta)
-explore過特區passport同bno passport同樣要申請eta...............揸bno仲麻煩d..............無得online申請................要搵approved嘅旅行社/agent去做..............所以用hksar passport好d (可online申請)...................多謝aud 20
https://www.eta.homeaffairs.gov.au/ETAS3/etas

2) download定lord howe offline map
-原來去到打開個offline map.................都可以show到你身處位置..................喺有少少偏差啫

3) reef safe sun screen + 陸上防曬

4) bag of snack...............仲有餅乾同腰果

photo equipment

1) land

-camera : olympus tg 4

-mobile phone : samsung c7 pro

2) underwater

-camera : olympus tg 4 + housing

-wide angle lens : aoi 0.5x wide lens

-light : weefine ring light 3000
-torch : mini gear 3200 lux