The Great Barrier Reef

Obviously the last entry was completely lies and thank goodness for that as the Great Barrrier Reef topped my list of things to see while in Australia. It is the most extensive structure ever built by living creatures and the only life form on earth visible from the moon. Consisting of 2500 separate reefs it stretches over 2000 kms and supports the greatest concentration of life on this planet. On Wednesday we managed to visit two of those reefs. After a 2 hour cruise out to sea we arrived at our first destination, Mikelson Cay, a sand island in the middle of the sea (see 1st photo). We promptly jumped off the boat and headed ashore for some snorkelling. Dion and I were immediately separated as we set out and I decided to snorkel my way back to the boat.

It is difficult to put into words the beauty of the coral reef. Brilliant coloured fished that swim amongst a garden of all sorts of coral. Schools of fish would pass me by as I happily floated amongst them. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a big sea turtle and almost choked on my snorkel. It swam right on by me barely taking notice. I was awe struck by the grace and ease which it moved through the water. I didn't stand a chance of keeping up to it.

Once I got back to the boat I had the option of doing a scuba dive, which I opted to try. I was really nervous about being in the water and almost fell over with the weight of the equipment, but jumped in. The guide was really good and I was swimming with the fish in minutes. He brought us down to the bottom and we got to stick our hands in a giant sea clam that was about 1 meter wide (aprox 60 years old!). He encouraged us to touch a few of the corals, a star fish and a sea cucumber. It all went by too quick and we were back in the boat to head to our second reef of the day. Dion and I managed to stick together and floated around among even more fish than the first spot. Here is a quick video of the Giant Trevelli being fed.

Unfortunately our day on the reef with perfect windless conditions quickly came to a close and we headed back into Cairns for the evening. This was an experience I will not soon forget and a place I am keen to explore further. If anyone is even considering a visit to Australia this is a Must See!

After my turtle encounter I was feeling lucky and we headed to the local casino to try our luck. Keno was our game of choice but we didn't fare well and left much lighter in the pocket. I think we will be paying for retirement until we are 60!