Most of the ports we entered during the 4 cruises we have done required the services of a pilot. During the round Australia voyages we had a pilot for the Great Barrier Reef waters, as well as the Torres Strait at the top of Australia. The waters around the reef are quite tricky and require specialised knowledge. The reef pilot also gave a series of talks on aspects of his job, which I found fascinating, and I had the opportunity to talk with him when I met him by chance in one of the on board shops. One of his previous jobs had been as the master of cross channel ferries between England and France, a vastly busier waterway than the the Barrier Reef passage.
Peter.