One of the reasons we stopped at Lizard Island is
that it is the closest anchorage to Ribbon Reef Number 10, the north end of
which is the location of the famous Cod Hole dive site. Yesterday we
sailed out to the ribbon reef to go snorkeling there. It was cloudy and
windy when we set off, and when we got to the dive site there was 28 knots of
wind, with a lot of swell coming in through the pass in the reef. Rather
than going to Cod Hole we picked up a mooring buoy at Cormorant Reef, which is
more sheltered from the waves. So, in the end, despite having
some doubts when we were sailing out there, everyone got to snorkel on
the outer barrier reef. The visibility was pretty good (not as good as we
have had in some other parts of the Pacific) but the coral colours were still
excellent.