Editor’s Note: tap on the thumbnail pictures to see the full shot.
Our lucky weather charm continued today as not only didn’t it rain, the seas were calm as well. In the past three weeks either heavy rain or rough seas were the order of the day so another bullet dodged.
The marina is a 15 minute walk away so we out of the hotel just after 7:00. The humidity had dropped overnight and merely registered seriously uggghhhh!
We had chosen Ocean Freedom GBR Tours because it offered snorkeling (yes) and scuba diving (not for us this time) on a midsize boat and its appointed anchorage was straight off the coast from Cairns.
Along with 48 other holidayers and 10 crew, we headed out to sea for the one hour trip to the dive site. Cue the Gilligan’s Island theme song although our tour was scheduled for eight hours in total.
The sun was already beating down so we quickly secured space on the top deck to maximize the effect of the wind. Oh, and you can never apply too much sunscreen when traveling this close to the equator!
The portion of the reef we went to is 16 Kms (10 miles) offshore and is probably amongst the closest to Cairns. As noted previously, the reef is massive. It’s composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres (1,400 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi).
Safety lecture done it was into anti jellyfish suits and geared up with the necessary snorkeling equipment. Our first swim lasted about an hour and is difficult to describe without pictures (we didn’t bring the underwater go pro). Image a densely packed forest with all manner of trees, plants, scrub, bushes, rocks, etc. Thats the reef except it’s all coral. Different shapes, colours, sizes, and like a forest with animals, home to hundreds of different species of fish. It was spectacular.
Recent storms had stirred up the ocean but it was still clear enough to see everything. Occasionally schools of fish would join you just below the surface while others buzzed about in the coral. Literally a colourful aquarium just beneath you.
Some down time on the boat, a buffet lunch and then more snorkeling over a different section of the reef. Again, special.
Back on board we had to figure out how to get out of the suits that were now plastered to our bodies.
Our trip back to Cairns was interrupted by the crew doing a mock man overboard drill – successfully thank goodness.
We traipsed back to our hotel and just beat a massive cloudburst that lasted 10 minutes. Our weather fairy is on the job! Then it was back out to enjoy more of the local cuisine – Mexican, of course.
Tomorrow we fly to Sydney where it’s hot but dry. Fingers crossed our good weather luck travels with us as we’re about to tackle climbing to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Stay tuned.
The Bennetts On Tour 