Hello! We've spent the last few days being beach bums here in Cairns (possibly my new favourite hobby!) Yesterday we took a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. It was an early start (wake up call at 630am... eek!) and then we set off. We were on a 30 foot catamaran (Osprey 5 for all you boaty types who like to know random details... aka Dad!) We were glad we were on a cat considering the winds - 20-30 knots most of the day, so at least it gave us some stability... yet we were still rocking around and there was lots of sea sickness! We took about an hour and a half to get to our first reef spot. The snorkelling was good, although we didn't see as many fish as we expected. One thing that was really pretty was the colours on the reef - lots of reds and greens. We had a BBQ lunch onbaord and then went to the next spot, where the snorkelling was a bit better. There was a huge wrass at this spot called Wally (he visits everyday!) Theres a piccie of him in the latest photo album. The way back was even choppier - the baot was on two decks and the waves were going right over the boat... eek! Luckily I had my sea legs on (and travel sick tablets...) It's making me queasy just writing about it! We leave Cairns early on monday morning and head for Mission Beach, just down the coast. The area we are in in Cairns doesn't have a sandy beach, so itll be nice to have the sand between our toes (and just about everywhere else) again! Write more soon, Lots of love Karen xxxxxxxxx