(Kate)
Day 11 - Snorkling trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We had to be at the Marina at 8:15am,
so once again, we actually had to set an alarm (and I thought we were done
setting alarms for 15 weeks!!) We chose Calypso because they ran a smaller boat
(less people- 40 people total including the 6 crew) and visited 3 snorkling
sites instead of operating off a big pontoon. Nicole and I both experience
motion sickness, so we duly took tablets before departure. The trip out and
back to the reef is 90 minutes each way. Nicole was fine, but I lost my
breakfast before we even got to the reef and felt seedy for the rest of the
day. BUT I have no regrets, because seeing the reef with my own eyes was
AMAZING. So many colours and shapes. Some coral looked like giant brains or clumps
of potatoes, and others looked like flowers. It was like a giant underwater
garden. And the fish! Wow, wow and wow. Blue fish, yellow fish, speckled fish,
stripey fish. Schools of mini fish that darted this way and that, mostly in
unison. It was one of the most beautiful sights we have ever seen. I only did
the first snorkel, and spent the other 2 lying down on the deck in the sun,
enjoying the gentle non-nauseating rocking of the boat at rest on the sea.
All the underwater photos were taken by one of the Calypso Crew, who then sold them to us on a very cute "Dory" shaped flash drive. We went to Opal Reef, Tongue Reef, and Agincourt Reef (these can be found on the map photo). The lyrics to the John Denver song "Calypso" were pinned up on the wall of the cabin. If you'd like a tangent to today's story, google Calypso and Jacques Cousteau.
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