Great Barrier Reef

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef at Eddy Reef. The experience of a lifetime and one that we will never forget! So for this blog each of us will contribute.

Michele: Although we took an underwater camera, the film hasn't been developed yet. But seriously, it looked just like Pixar depicted in Finding Nemo. Except that the starfish we found were bright blue instead of pink. The boat went to Dunk Island first to pick up the bulk of the passengers for the trip. From Dunk Island, it took about 1 hour to get out to Eddie reef, which is 30 km away. From above water, the reef was an amazing green color, just like in Finding Nemo. We had about 3 hours to snorkel with a break for lunch. The weather was perfect and the tide was falling so the water became more calm during the day. One of my favorite parts of the day was holding hands with Robin/Will and pointing things out to one another. It was awesome!

Will: I like how there were thousands of giant clams and that they had really pretty lips. I liked how the coral was pretty colored and how the fish wouldn't run away when you floated towards them. Eddy Reef didn't have an island. At an island you walk over the coral to get into the water. At Eddy Reef, I liked that we jumped from the boat so the coral stays perfect.

Robin: I saw a sting ray and lots of sea cucumbers and a white-tipped reef shark and really big fish. And I also saw giant clams. Daddy saw an octopus and mommy saw a Barracuda. The first time I tried snorkeling, I inhaled water. I couldn't breathe! The second time I did great and I snorkeled for about an hour. Everything was my favorite!!!

Gavin: This was the second time I'd been snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef-- the first was at Green Island (off Cairns) in the late '80's. I remember thinking "it's like swimming in an aquarium!" Words, pictures or movies don't really capture the experience; it's amazing to be in amongst so many beautiful creatures, able to go wherever you like and take a closer look at whatever captures your interest. Will says he's interested in scuba diving; I think that will be a great father-son project (I'd like to learn, too) in a few years when he's old enough...