In pictures: see the Fitzroy Island eco-tourism experience

The latest eco-tourism experience on Fitzroy Island will leave tourists with slimy hands and a keen eye for pesky gastropods.

See the story through pictures.

Kristina Puljak and Brendan Radke

less than 2 min read

March 25, 2023 - 4:55PM

The Cairns Post

Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan looks over coral for Drupella Snails. Picture: Brendan Radke

1/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan looks over coral for Drupella Snails. Picture: Brendan Radke

2/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan looks over coral for Drupella Snails. Picture: Brendan Radke

3/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

4/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

5/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

6/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

7/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

Aerial photo of Welcome Bay on Fitzroy Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

8/33Aerial photo of Welcome Bay on Fitzroy Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

9/33Aerial photo of Welcome Bay on Fitzroy Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

10/33Aerial photo of Welcome Bay on Fitzroy Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

Aerial photo of coral and, fish and sea life growing on a fringing reef right off the shore of Fitzroy Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

11/33Aerial photo of coral and, fish and sea life growing on a fringing reef right off the shore of Fitzroy Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

12/33Aerial photo of coral and, fish and sea life growing on a fringing reef right off the shore of Fitzroy Island, located in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, off the coast of Cairns in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

13/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist Laura Pederson surveys corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

14/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. A tourist surveys corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

15/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist Laura Pederson surveys corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

16/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist Laura Pederson surveys corals and fish on the island's fringing reef. Picture: Brendan Radke

17/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan looks over coral for Drupella Snails. Picture: Brendan Radke

18/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan removes the coral eating Drupella Snail from the fringing reefs around the island. Picture: Brendan Radke

19/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan removes the coral eating Drupella Snail from the fringing reefs around the island. Picture: Brendan Radke

20/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan removes the coral eating Drupella Snail from the fringing reefs around the island. Picture: Brendan Radke

21/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist Laura Pederson and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan remove the coral eating Drupella Snail from the fringing reefs around the island. Picture: Brendan Radke

22/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island marine biologist and Master Reef Guide Azri Saparwan remove the coral eating Drupella Snail from the fringing reefs around the island. Picture: Brendan Radke

23/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island CEO Glen MacDonald. Picture: Brendan Radke

24/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Fitzroy Island Dive Operations Manager Jeff Jones. Picture: Brendan Radke

25/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Injured Green Sea Turtle Raine is being nursed back to helth at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

26/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Injured Green Sea Turtle Raine is being nursed back to helth at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

27/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Injured Green Sea Turtle Shelby is missing a rear flipper. Picture: Brendan Radke

28/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Injured Green Sea Turtle Shelby is missing a rear flipper. Picture: Brendan Radke

29/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Injured Green Sea Turtle Shelby is missing a rear flipper. Picture: Brendan Radke

30/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Volunteer Lupo Metternich cleans a tank at the Fitzroy Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

31/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Sera Steves and Louisse Linney fare team leaders at the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. Picture: Brendan Radke

32/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Team leaders at the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre Sera Steves and Louisse Linney feed lettuce leaves and squid to injured Green Sea Turtle Raine. Picture: Brendan Radke

33/33Fitzroy Island has created a new visitor experience which allows tourists to help at the island's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, followed by a guided snorkel tour that surveys and collects data on the coral and creatures on the reef. Team leader at the Turtle Rehabilitation Centre Sera Steves completes daily physiotherapy on the rear fin of injured turtle Shelby. Picture: Brendan Radke

Original URL: https://www.themercury.com.au/news/in-pictures-see-the-fitzroy-island-ecotourism-experience/image-gallery/3e6fa48304d3f8e88a0875fa9d2d6d5c

In pictures: see the Fitzroy Island eco-tourism experience

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