The Great Barrier Reef

As snorkeling aficionados, Julie and I have had the Great Barrier Reef as a goal for quite a while, and that is the primary reason we flew up to Cairns before embarking on our South Pacific cruise. Julie had pre-booked a catamaran snorkel trip to Michaelmas Cay and the Outer Barrier Reef with Passions of Paradise. The 60% chance of rain made the prior week that threatened to mar our trip had been reduced to 40%, which by my way of thinking meant that what sounded to Julie like sure-to-rain must now be sure-to-not-rain, and indeed we had a sunny walk to the harbor from our hotel.

We boarded a few minutes early and had complimentary coffee and muffins. The motorized cruise out was very pleasant, and they even let out some sail once we hit the open sea.

An hour and a half later, we arrived at Michaelmas Cay, a small spit of sand inhabited by hundreds of birds surrounded by turquoise water within its reef. We took a Zodiac to shore, where we were told to always stay on our designated side of a rope that split the island and the water. We immediately donned masks and dove right in.

The coral was more beautiful than any we have ever seen, a veritable fireworks display of color and variety. At first, the variety and volume of fish wasn't overly impressive, certainly less than some places in Roatan, French Polynesia or Hawaii, but it was beautifully balanced. We came to appreciate the pristine environment. Of particular interest were giant clams with holes that opened and closed. We didn't have underwater cameras to capture any of the sea life, although I have never taken good underwater photography, so let me just say you have to go see it for yourself.

We were ready for lunch by the time we finished the hour of diving at Michaelmas Cay, and Passions of Paradise laid out a delicious spread. After lunch, we went to another reef a short distance away from MC where many of us went back in the water. As has been my experience on most dives at reefs as opposed to off islands, the water was a bit rough, and the wind blew. However, the visibility remained very clear, and we saw many more fish in this area, along with more of that beautiful coral. The skies turned gray and cool winds whipped up. Despite our rash guards, we were pretty cold by the time we headed back to the boat.

The ride back to Cairns was rough. I was reminded of a roller coaster ride I took at the cheapo carnival in the parking lot of the Albertson's near Alan Hale's house when I was ten. On that roller coaster ride, I took solace in the fact that I knew it would end after three laps, but the carny, for some reason, let it keep going on for seven laps, after which I was quite happy to have survived without puking. The ride back took a long time. I sat on the bow in the light rain, despite being occasionally drenched by waves that the captain occasionally hit head-on. By the time we reached shore, I almost kissed the land in gratitude. As a note for those of you who worry about getting seasick on a cruise, note that I don't have a particularly strong stomach for motion but have never gotten seasick on a cruise ship. I also fortunately didn't spill my guts on this little trip, although I was put to shame by the strong-stomached Aussies, including little children who were too busy laughing to notice any ill-effects.

That night, we ate burgers at McDonald's and bought a cheap bottle of Australian Riesling to share looking out from our hotel room across the pool to the ocean.