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Monday. We were up at what passed for a sensible time (6am local, 9am NZ) for our 0710 pick-up for the day's activity, the Reef Experience tour. This is a close-up Great Barrier Reef experience, with snorkelling and - for those who wish it (we didn't) - an introductory scuba dive.
The bus meandered over town picking people up, eventually depositing us at the marina.
We were ushered onto the boat and issued with kit and breakfast. I was initially a bit leery of the damp seats but realised that actually, I was going to be making them damp myself after I came out of the water.
When breakfast was complete we set off on an hour's journey to the reef, during which the marine biologist explained some of what we were going to see and seasickness medicine was proffered (alas, it was quite choppy, and a number of people rued their decision to decline).
On reaching the reef, the boat became a hive of activity as the crew sorted out the access platforms. Seeing as I'm not a strong swimmer and had never snorkelled before, I waited for the enthusiasts to get going first.
I picked up a flotation 'noodle' (suspiciously reminiscent of closed-cell foam pipe lagging) to help me out and gave it a try, but I couldn't get it right. I have something of a phobia of drowning - I was never much of a water baby - and it was too much to simultaneously restrain the phobia, feel confident that I was staying afloat, breathe properly through the snorkel, maintain situational awareness, try to keep myself horizontal and kick properly to move about. I didn't get more than a couple of metres from the platform and quickly found myself clinging to it for grim death.
One of the crew saw I was having trouble, so offered to tow me out on a life ring so I could see the reef. This is the standard thing they do for non-swimmers; much appreciated (and very cool).
So, one thing at a time. I quickly figured out how to breathe. Kicking my legs properly took a bit more time, but by the end I think I was getting it right. And the reef.
Oh, the reef.
There are some places that man was not intended to venture, and this might be one of them. It was breathtaking (in more ways than one, if you haven't yet figured out how to breathe). All the rich colours (that don't show up on a camera unless you post-process), all the fantastic detail. I grinned at seeing the coral that the biologist had named earlier - they're simply names, but it does make life easy. Brain coral. Finger coral. Branched coral. There was also coral that looked just like Romanesco (fractal) broccoli, and a few giant clams.
The boat carried a pro photographer with some decent underwater kit, who generally scuba'd around snapping people (including yours truly) and things.
After lunch, C hired a compact camera from the photo dude, and the boat made its way to the second reef stop. Three of us (including C and I) went out on a ring with one of the crew. (Yes, we did kick our legs to help him out - the current was non-trivial.) After that, I tried actual swimming, and this time it worked - sufficiently well that I was confident enough to take the camera for a while. :)
The ride back to shore seemed never-ending, and the swell made me a bit uncomfortable, but it had been worth it. We were dropped off back at the holiday park. Later on we ventured back into Cairns for a curry, which we devoured.
More photos.
The bus meandered over town picking people up, eventually depositing us at the marina.
We were ushered onto the boat and issued with kit and breakfast. I was initially a bit leery of the damp seats but realised that actually, I was going to be making them damp myself after I came out of the water.
When breakfast was complete we set off on an hour's journey to the reef, during which the marine biologist explained some of what we were going to see and seasickness medicine was proffered (alas, it was quite choppy, and a number of people rued their decision to decline).
On reaching the reef, the boat became a hive of activity as the crew sorted out the access platforms. Seeing as I'm not a strong swimmer and had never snorkelled before, I waited for the enthusiasts to get going first.
I picked up a flotation 'noodle' (suspiciously reminiscent of closed-cell foam pipe lagging) to help me out and gave it a try, but I couldn't get it right. I have something of a phobia of drowning - I was never much of a water baby - and it was too much to simultaneously restrain the phobia, feel confident that I was staying afloat, breathe properly through the snorkel, maintain situational awareness, try to keep myself horizontal and kick properly to move about. I didn't get more than a couple of metres from the platform and quickly found myself clinging to it for grim death.One of the crew saw I was having trouble, so offered to tow me out on a life ring so I could see the reef. This is the standard thing they do for non-swimmers; much appreciated (and very cool).
So, one thing at a time. I quickly figured out how to breathe. Kicking my legs properly took a bit more time, but by the end I think I was getting it right. And the reef.
Oh, the reef.
There are some places that man was not intended to venture, and this might be one of them. It was breathtaking (in more ways than one, if you haven't yet figured out how to breathe). All the rich colours (that don't show up on a camera unless you post-process), all the fantastic detail. I grinned at seeing the coral that the biologist had named earlier - they're simply names, but it does make life easy. Brain coral. Finger coral. Branched coral. There was also coral that looked just like Romanesco (fractal) broccoli, and a few giant clams.
The boat carried a pro photographer with some decent underwater kit, who generally scuba'd around snapping people (including yours truly) and things.
After lunch, C hired a compact camera from the photo dude, and the boat made its way to the second reef stop. Three of us (including C and I) went out on a ring with one of the crew. (Yes, we did kick our legs to help him out - the current was non-trivial.) After that, I tried actual swimming, and this time it worked - sufficiently well that I was confident enough to take the camera for a while. :)
The ride back to shore seemed never-ending, and the swell made me a bit uncomfortable, but it had been worth it. We were dropped off back at the holiday park. Later on we ventured back into Cairns for a curry, which we devoured.
More photos.