The Great Barrier Reef

We are sitting on the veranda of a coffee shop in City Place, a pedestrian plaza at the heart of Cairns.  We have enjoyed a leisurely morning and explored a bit of the city that we had yet to see in the morning drizzle, and are now relaxing a bit and enjoying the cooler weather that came along with the rain.  The past three days have been non-stop sights and activities, so we are happy to have the day to unwind before we return to Sydney tonight.

Yesterday was our experience on the Great Barrier Reef.  We woke up early to have breakfast before our 7:25 hotel pick-up.  On the bus we headed straight for the Marina and down wharf Finger E to our awaiting boat.  We were welcomed by a jovial crew and tea and biscuits before our ride out to the reef.  Jason and Rebecca took some seasickness pills before we headed out of the harbor for the day in an effort to ward off any queasiness as we negotiated the rough seas stirred up by 25 knot winds (about 50km/hour or 30m/hour – my accuracy gets worse and worse every time I translate from one unit to another).  After being inside for a few minutes we moved upstairs to the back outdoor deck for the duration of the journey – the fresh air, sunshine, and unobstructed views of the horizon helped more than any pill seemed able to.  On our way out to the reef we were given our wetsuits, shoes, snorkles, and masks (prescription – quite handy for all us visually challenged).

Our first stop, around 10:00, was Hastings Reef and the fish bowl, a large hole in the reef where lots of fish live.  After instructions on how to snorkel, we headed downstairs, got our flippers, and headed off the boat for two hours of exploring.  Jason and Rebecca were naturals – I took a bit longer to adjust, and found the sensation of having your face underwater while still breathing incredibly unnervering.  I got to see quite a bit, but struggled to keep up with the guides as they pointed things out.  I had a good time and was glad I got to see what I saw – the colors were beautiful – but I couldn’t get over the breathing thing, so returned to the boat after about an hour and fifteen minutes.  Jason and Rebecca stayed out for the two hours and I got some pictures of them from the upper deck of the boat.  Jason returned right around the end to get some treatment for an encounter with a blue bottle – a type of jellyfish – which managed to sting both him and the guide he and Rebecca were with.  After being sprayed with vinegar on his hands (where he got stung) the little bit of swelling stopped, and after 20 minutes or so the pain seemed to subside.

After the first dive we settled in for a delicious lunch, and all seemed to eat pretty ravenously – that much physical activity for that much time seems to take a lot out of you.  After lunch we went back up to the top deck for the ride to the next site, Saxon Reef and the Twin Peaks – two large towers of coral.  We went through the same procedures as the first reef and then went off for an hour and a half.  Much the same as before, I got to see a lot of cool stuff, but after a run-in with the coral (the coral grew within a foot of the surface of the water in many places) I returned to the boat for the rest of the afternoon.  Jason and Rebecca stayed out until the end and got to see an eel and some turtles.

I had an enjoyable time, and am excited to be able to say I have seen the Great Barrier Reef and that I have been snorkeling, though I don’t plan on doing it any time again in the foreseeable future.  I have learned that I like doing activities that do not restrict my breathing.  Also, it seems, I like breathing through my nose, unintentionally, even when I am breathing through my mouth – that is not very conducive to snorkeling.  Anyways, hopefully some of the pictures with the underwater disposable cameras that we used will turn out so we can share them with everyone.  Once back on the boat we made the journey back to Cairns, arriving back at our hotel by 4:30.  We cleaned up and lounged around for a bit. 

At night we were hungry from the day of being out in the sun and snorkeling (which require quite a bit of energy).  We went to the night market, seemingly an institution in Cairns, where we tried one of the many Asian/seafood buffets.  With a wide array of fried things and set prices depending on the size of the plate, it seems to be a challenge to cram as much on a plate as physically possible. 

Chinese and Seafood - it is a wonder Jason ate here...

Jason and I split an extra-large plate and went out filling it with as much food as we could.  Piled high with fried goodness, sauces all pooling in the bottom of the plate, it took both of us to get it back to the table without losing anything.  To be expected, the food was not of the best quality, but we enjoyed how filling it was, and walked away quite satisfied at the end of the meal.

Our fully-loaded plate.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped into an Aboriginal art gallery which had beautiful (but prohibitively expensive) art works.  We also went to many, many gift shops in search of souvenirs, and were finally successful in finding some postcards and a shirt for Jason.  As a diversion, and for a bit of entertainment in the evening we stopped into the Reef Casino, where we whiled away ten minutes or so gambling at the penny slots with $1.  It was Rebecca’s (and my) first time gambling at a casino, and while we left out about 32 cents each (yay for favourable exchange rates) the money was well spent.  Back at the hotel we packed a bit, wrote postcards, and watched some Australian tv before calling it a fairly early night.