Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We got up early for our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Had good weather but the sea was really choppy, both felt very sea sick by the time we arrived at Green Island (the only cay on the GBR to have a natural rainforest on it).
We were given snorkle gear and flippers and made our way to one of the snorkling areas of the beach. With Nick a bit nervous we went to the life guarded area first. We'd been told this morning it is also Stinger season - brilliant! But "apparently" it is rare to see them near the reef . . . . can't be that rare though as just snorkling in this area we saw 5!!!!! One only inches from Nick's face! They're so hard to see, you just see neon pink lines. We could hear each other shouting through our snorkle tubes lol! We were a little dissappointed with this area, we saw some coral etc but it was quite scattered and not alot of sealife. Though did see a fish just like Dorie in Finding Nemo!!! "just keep swimming"!! After seeing another jelly fish we made our way out to go back to the boat for lunch. On our way we saw a lime green jumping spider!!
After lunch we tried we tried the quieter side of the beach but it is quite a swim out to the coral so with snorkles and flippers on we went in off the jetty on a lower area, like where you would board speed boats. We were both a bit scared of jumping off the jetty into very choppy sea but much to our surprise we both just went for it!! We swam under the jetty to get to this area and it was like being in a different world, there is no way to describe it, it was amazing, so many colours and fish, it was beautiful - just how you would imagine the Barrier Reef. It takes your breathe away.
I had seen a fish earlier in the day from the jetty, a large blue fish. While snorkling it was a ft below Nicks face!! It was huge and shimmered lots of different blues in the light! Very beautiful. We slowly but surely made our way back to the beach then went back to the boat to board our submarine tour!
The sub tour took us out to where the scuba divers go, on the edge of the reef. It was great to go deeper and we saw so much, including giant clams, a sting ray and loads of other fish!! But with it being so choppy we were literally being thrown from side to side of this thing, everyone reaching for sick bags - but a good experience.
When we got back we both headed for land and had to sit down!! It was the end of the day so made our way back to Cairns on the boat. Returned our digital camera and after showers and dinner went to get our disc of photos. The photos don't really do it justice, the colours look so much duller than they are, but good to have them. Plus it didn't help that the coral had sporned this week too! So it made the sea quite cloudy. It does it once a year, releases all its sperm and eggs into the sea. Lovely being told at the end of the day that you've been swimming in that all day lol. Are both shattered but has been an amazing day.
- comments