July 7 - Great Barrier Reef

The air was filled with excitement at breakfast this morning. We were headed for the Great Barrier Reef! Our tour was with Reef Magic and we boarded the boat at the wharf in Cairns.

It was a perfect day: the sky was clear with no clouds and the water was calm. It took us about 1 ½ hours to reach the reef. The boat was full of people including a couple of other People to People delegations.

After some instruction and fittings for equipment, we were free to enjoy the day at the reef. I liked that they had pontoon station that we used throughout the day. We didn’t have to dive off the boat to snorkel; there was a special station on the side with benches and open area to get into the water easily. The pontoon also had a sunning deck, tables to eat lunch and a changing area for when we were finished. All of the equipment was on it, too.

I was so surprised when I first got into the water. I expected to have to swim out a little way before I saw anything. But no, we were right there! As soon as I got in the water there was coral and fish all around me! I have never seen anything like it before. Some of the coral was very close to the top of the water, so I had to be careful swimming around it, so as not to touch it. In other places it formed shelves and caves. We had a large area that we could explore and there were a great variety of fish and coral to see. There was one huge fish, Wally, that is like a pet for the cruises. He was often seen swimming around the area, and many had their picture taken with him.

We also had the opportunity to ride in a mini-sub, to see a different part of the reef with a guide. That was pretty cool, too, and it helped when I snorkeled again in the afternoon to identify some of what I was seeing.

Lunch was fantastic (or maybe I was just extra hungry from all the swimming). They provided a buffet of ham, roast beef, and prawns, along with salads, sushi and fruit. They also had breads and muffins for morning tea and fruits and cheese for afternoon tea.

The day passed very quickly, and before we knew it, we were on our way back home. It was a decidedly more quiet group traveling back. A few even fell asleep on the boat.

Sadly, we had to say good-bye to Len, our bus driver, tonight. Because of the size of the bus, he can’t drive us tomorrow. He thought he would be able to take us to the airport on Thursday, but it appears the company has arranged another driver. Len was terrific. He was a little deaf, but always willing to share his knowledge of the area. He took good care of us.

We’re having trouble believing that tomorrow will be our last day to tour. The time has gone by so quickly, and we have been able to do so much. I have to say that this has been the most activity-packed itinerary I have ever been on, and yet we still had the much-needed down time. Tomorrow brings more great experiences before we head home.