Cairns, Australia and the Great Barrier Reef...WOW

We arrived in Cairns (pronounced “Cans”) on Thursday morning, not really knowing what to expect, other than that we had scheduled an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef. We discovered that this is definitely a place to come back to.

Our excursion was a catamaran trip 70 miles offshore to the Great Barrier Reef, where we docked at a floating outpost in the middle of the Coral Sea to explore the territory. We first took a glass bottom boat to see the reef from above, and then a semi-submarine vehicle to see the view below through the glass. The scenery was phenomenal and we thought THAT was exciting. But then, we hired a private diver to take us snorkeling through and over the reef. Words CANNOT EXPLAIN the beauty that we saw…colorful, and vibrantly alive, coral and fish as far as the eyes could see. It was just the two of us with the guide, so he was able to point out the various fish (sometimes very big fish (2-3 feet long, but they were bright and colorful, so we weren’t afraid) and point out all the different types of coral. He would also dive below the surface when we came upon giant clams (and we mean GIANT, like 5 to 7 feet in circumference) and insert his hand into their mouths and we would see them close. But our biggest delight was coming face to face with two giant sea turtles (5-6 feet in length) who let us get very up close. NO SNORKELING EXPERIENCE could ever compare to the Great Barrier Reef. (Note: as of our return to civilization in June, we have finally developed our underwater camera and updated this post with actual pictures of this excursion). You will see the turtle at left; the giant clam is below right, and the diver approaching it below left.
The Reef supports a diversity of life, including many vulnerable and endangered species (detail provided for our friends at the Riverhead Foundation which supports the marine life on Long Island)…

30 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, including the dwarf minke whale, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and the humpback whale. Large populations of dugongs also live there.

6 species of sea turtles, including the green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, flatback turtle, and the olive ridley.

125 species of shark, stingray and skates (and we got in the water??)

5,000 species of mollusks, including the GIANT CLAMS that we saw

49 species of pipefish and 9 species of seahorse

215 species of birds (with 2 million birds using the Reef to breed)

2,195 known plant species

More than 1,500 species of fish

And much, much more.

Anyway, John hasn’t stopped talking about this experience with others on the boat and he is like an excited child in describing what he saw. His repeated phrase all day has been “Nobody should be allowed to have this much fun!” THAT says it all.