2 Crazy Sheilas

Today was AMAZING!  Claire and I did the Great Barrier Reef!  We boarded our large boat this morning a little sad that the sky was rainy and cloudy but even that didn’t dampen our excitement.  We were going to The Reef!!!!  We drove out and got into our gear.  One by one people dropped off the edge of the boat looking like another species with their fins, suits, and masks.  As I slid off the edge of the boat and hit the water my stomach flipped.  I felt like a fish out of water (I know, I know, corny joke J).

            It took only a moment to adjust my breathing before my face was looking down in amazement at the fish that had come up to check out our boat.  We swam further along until the sand at the bottom began to escalate into a giant reef.  All along were different fish forming their own communities in the reef and occasionally swimming past.  One was so close it pooped on Claire and sped off.  Luckily I was under water so no one heard me laugh. The water was so clear and blue we could see the bottom with no problems.  Definitely a change from the mighty Mississippi.  It was still cloudy out so everything seemed a bit dull.  We went aboard and our ship went to a new location. 

The clouds parted and the sun said hello as once again we dove into the water.  This time, things were even more amazing, not to mention colorful.  The fish were the brightest blues, greens, oranges, and yellows.  We saw butterfly fish, surgeons, parrotfish, and even Nemo hanging out in an anemone.  At one point I even saw a white tip reef shark.  Naturally I panicked and stuck my head out of water thinking Jaws must be behind me.  When I looked back I couldn’t see it so I thought maybe I had mistaken two fish swimming together.  Claire, who saw nothing, helped calm me down so I stayed in the water.  She even grabbed my legs once in a while, making me scream silently under waterJ.  I became at ease once again until there it was, a small shark at the bottom of the reef.  By the time I reached Claire it was gone but this time I knew.  He was a small one and the fish were too pretty to miss so I stayed in hoping he would just keep to himself which he did. I’m glad I stayed in because the sight was once in a life time.  The most beautiful fish came up to check us out and say hello.  Below us the scuba divers swam past and tried to open giant clams.  It went on and on forever, new beauties emerging constantly.  It was a great day.  Once again thanks for reading.

Miranda

Today Miranda and I woke early and headed to the city center of Cairns, hopped on a speedy catamaran and arrived at the Great Barrier Reef! Although it was a gloomy, cloudy morning, our moods could not be broken by the salty weather.

As we drank our tea and coffee and watched numerous people get seasick the anticipation built. I couldn’t believe that I was actually about to see one of the wonders of the world, something I have heard so much about but have only seen in pictures! We were among a group of about 60 snorkelers (which is what Miranda and I did), novice and expert divers. I was a little disappointed to find out that we were only able to snorkle, as divers required a certification, that takes three days at the least, which is not the amount of time that I have in Cairns, as Miranda and I have to head out of the beautiful city on Wednesday and start our journey down the coast! But I do plan, in time, to recieve my certification if I can while in Australia.

Anyway, we collected our wetsuits, goggles and flippers and headed to the back of the boat and suited up. I was first (between Miranda and I, as she struggled to squeeze into her wetsuit gracefully ) to jump into the warm water and catch my first glimpse of the reef. Even from far away I have never seen such life under water before, tropical fish of all colors and sizes swam in and out of the colorful coral. The color was amazing, even with with overcast day at hand. Miranda and I has purchased a faulty underwater camera that we had planned to capture the reffs beauty with, but as it worked horribly we are not quite sure what pictures we will come up with, if any at all! We swam around the reef and took in the underwater view for abuot and hour and a half before we were called back to the boat to grab lunch and head to a second location.

At lunch Miranda and I ate as if we were starving student travelers ( ) who got a lunch buffet that looked almost as beautiful as the reef below! We ate until we could not eat any more, where at which time we were told we had another hour at out new location. Miranda and I suited back up and hopped back into the ocean only to be amazed once more. This location, which we were told the low tide affected, gave us up close and personal views of the reef just 1 meter below in some spots. Even better was that the sun peeked through the clouds just in time for us to see the reef, which illuminated the colors of the underwater world ten fold compared to the last location! We swam with the fish (which included more than I care to mention or know and Miranda even spotted a shark, where at which point I had to step in and convince her that it was no harm and that she’d be okay) and enjoyed watching their habitat and lives for about an hour and then headed back to the boat and eventually back to Cairns.

After our amazing day Miranda and I had some time to spare before our shuttle came to take us back to the hostel, so we headed into a few shops and eventually a Mexican resturant where we celebrated our day with a margarita. I opted for a less traditional flavor, lychee, and Miranda traditional, but always good, lime. We then headed back to out hostel, enjoyed our free dinner and here we are, checking our email and bragging to you about our AMAZING day!

Tomorrow we head to Cape Tribulation and Port Douglas on a day trip. Wednesday we say goodbye to Cairns and hello to the coast of Australia, where at which point I can’t remember where we are headed! I will keep you all filled in on my travels, but until then…see ya!

~Claire