On our second day in Cairns, we had booked a day out at the Great Barrier Reef. This was one thing that was on the top of my list to do in Australia, so I was super excited. We went with the company Seastar Cruises, which brings smaller groups (about 30 people) out to snorkel or scuba dive at the GBR. They told us that the water might be a little rough because there were high winds that day, but it wasn’t bad at all. It took about an hour for us to go out to the Michaelmas Reef, where we would be spending the day.
Our boat for the day
They gave us all flippers, goggles, and snorkels, and then had us put on stinger suits since it is the season where there might be stinging jelly fish. We looked totally fashionable since they covered us head to toe. We took a glass bottom boat out to the sandy cay and once everyone had all their gear on, we broke into two groups and followed leaders who showed us where to go and what we were seeing. They pulled life preservers behind them in case anyone needed to hold on, and took pictures for us since not many people had underwater cameras.
The people in the other group of snorkelers said that they actually saw a sea turtle, which is really cool, and Diana later said she saw a reef shark (which are harmless and more like a big fish), but I wasn’t so lucky. I still got to see a lot of amazing, colorful fish, starfish, and giant clams though. We were told that if you hold a hand or flipper close enough to a giant clam, they will actually sense the shadow and close quickly, so it was fun to play with those. I also thought it was cool that at some points I could hear fish nibbling on the coral, especially when there were big schools of them.
After we came back onto the boat for lunch, we were able to go back out and snorkel for a couple more hours, and I got to see even more of the reef. This time it was way easier to get to hang of snorkeling and I only drank a couple large mouthfuls of ocean water. Normally, this tour goes to another nearby reef in the afternoon, but because of the high wind warnings, the skipper decided it would be better if we stayed where we were.
Glass bottom boat – we’re at the very back on the right
The last thing we did in the afternoon was go on a glass bottom boat tour. They took us out in two groups on a boat where you can look down right to the reef without getting wet. This was also pretty cool because the tour guide could tell us about what we were seeing and answer questions right on the spot. However, I definitely liked snorkeling better because you got to be closer to the reef. After the trip I was very tired from all the swimming, but I had such an amazing time. I would love to go snorkeling again, and am so glad that I was able to experience the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world and a World Heritage Site.
Marlin Marina in Cairns
Hammond Adventures 