The Great Barrier Reef

This was how our day started ... a gorgeous sunrise that told us we'd have a picture perfect day! As you can see, we were up at dawn for our trip to one of the most beautiful wonders of the world: The Great Barrier Reef. Our catamaran was about 80 feet long and weighed 102 tonnes EMPTY. It was called Ocean Spirit and it was taking us to an area of the Reef called, Michaelmas Cay. Basically, Michaelmas Cay is a giant Sandbar surrounded by coral reef and host to over 20000 migratory seabirds. It is one of the most important nesting sights in the southern hemisphere. The island had a roped off area for people and the rest of the island was for the birds only.
We left our hotel at 7am and were sailing out to sea by 8:30 in the morning. We were excited to see marine life that we've only seen in zoos, on TV or in Finding Nemo. We would spend the day snorkeling and swimming. They also have a semi-submersible submarine for those who want to take in the reef life but not get their faces in the water AKA Jackson, Mom and Dad.

We found a spot on the deck of the catamaran and settled in for the nearly 2 hour ride out to the Reef. It was a beautiful sunny day and the breeze on the deck was refreshing. People were laid out all over soaking up the sun. On the way out we had a dolphin swimming with us for about 10 minutes. We were able to just stand on the bough and watch. It was awesome. The colour of the water was the bluest blue and turquoise and the closer we got, the more patches of reef you could see.

When we arrived at Michaelmas Cay, I signed Jack and myself up for a snorkel lesson, with the hope that perhaps I could get him to put his face in the water on this special day. We got as far as the flippers in the lesson and Jack was done. We sat on the beach and watched the rest of the lesson. After all the snorkelers made their way out, Jack and I played on the beach and in the shallow water. There were fish who came up to the shallows so Jack was able to chase them around without going past his waist. Ideal! Sam and Jake took out the underwater digital camera we rented in order to document what they see.

After a while, Sam came in and offered to hang out with Jack so I could go out and snorkel. Jake and I took off together and quickly were into the thick of the reef. It really did remind me of the little reef Nemo and Marlin lived in. There were bright pink anemones, giant clams, mollusks and lots of coral. I have never seen anything like it in my life - even snorkeling in Mexico is nothing like the Great Barrier Reef. It is also like roadways in the reef. There will be a sandy bottom path in between the giant mounds of coral and other reef plants. We would try to swim in "roadways" in order to avoid damaging the coral and other life.

As Jake and I flutter-kicked about in the reef, we saw so many vibrant fish. We saw bright blues, multicoloured parrot fish, striped fish, Dori fish and even Gill from the tank. I just kept thinking about how fortunate we are to be able be here. I was greatly startled though when a reef shark blew past Jake and I as we were admiring the parrot fish. I grunted loudly at Jake and signalled to get the *&%$ out of there. He didn't see it go by and he couldn't figure out why I was moving at a speed of 20 knots! Once we were safely out of the reef, I explained the situation. We went straight to one of the crew and asked if we were safe and they assured us we were. Nevertheless, we took a break and headed to the ship for a yummy buffet lunch.

After we had our fill, Jake and Jack went with Mom for the semi sub ride. They went out in a submarine that is half under water and all windows. The driver stays above water at the helm.
The sub goes farther out than the snorkelers are allowed to so they can see different types of life. They saw sea turtles, valleys of coral of many colours, lots of different fish and sea cucumbers. It was really cool to be so close to the magic of the reef.

While Jake and Jack were on the semi sub, Sam and dad and I went to the beach again to snorkel. I was much more nervous this time and kept my eye out for a shark but didn't see another one. Instead we just took it all in and swam about the reef until we were summoned back to the boat to head back.

The ride home was relaxing as we took in the magnificent colours and enjoyed live music and champagne (well, the adults did) all the way back. It was a memorable day for all of us. We have one more day in Cairns before we head back to Sydney. It will be a relaxing beach/pool type of day - the perfect ending to a magical week.

Please check out Sam and Jake's underwater photography below. For some reason, some underwater pics are on their side - don't know why that happened?