Day 8 -- June 15

Summary:

Sea Turtle!

Sadly, we didn't see any sharks...

Today we went to the Great Barrier Reef. I'd been looking forward to it this whole year! It was really sunny this morning, but a little cold and windy. We got on to the boat and it took us about two hours to actually get to where we were would be swimming in the reef. By the time we got our snorkeling gear on the wind had died down and it was much warmer. I expecting the water to be a little chilly, but it was actually super warm, like bath water. Honestly, the water was warmer than the air. The only problem was, the water tasted AWFUL. It was as if someone had literally just dumped 23,000 pounds of salt into the water before we got there. After about five minutes, my throat was burning. I had to keep coming back above water to spit the water out of my mouth, or I'd gag on it. But the reef was gorgeous! I saw so many beautiful fish, and the coral was absolutely stunning! Then, I went on a glass-bottomed boat to see the reef without getting wet, and we saw a sea turtle! When we got back to Cairns we were given the chance to go hang around town again for dinner. We went to a burger restaurant and went to the park afterwards!

The Great Barrier Reef:

The reef and fish

Reef at low tide

This morning, I woke up with anticipation filling my body. Today was the day we'd been looking forward to for the whole trip, and, at least in my case, for the whole year. We were finally going to the Great Barrier Reef! I was very excited, and I was really looking forward to the day. We got on our bus and drove out to the boat we were going to take to the reef. At this point, I think I actually started to believe that this was really happening, and not just some wonderful dream. We were going to snorkel in one of the seven wonders of the world!It took about two hours, but we pulled up next to a platform, and there it was: The wonderful GBR. It was absolutely amazing! I loved everything about it; the coral, the fish, the water, the sand. I fell in love the moment I stepped on the boat in the morning. The view of the ocean and city were beautiful, and the sun was up and shining. We had a nice, bouncy boat ride to the reef (I love waves!) and awesome lifeguards! I was so excited when we got to the reef, and the weather was lovely! The water was a lot warmer than I thought it would be. And it was so clear that I could see the colorful fish before even going it. When I put my head in the water it was like entering a different world. One of the best feelings ever, I think, is being able to "breathe" under water. Being able to stay down there forever. It's breathtaking. And seeing the amazing coral and fish was wonderful. This was a once in a lifetime experience that I was given a chance to do. The reef itself was so nice and there were places I saw over where the coral was literally only three inches below me. And I got to touch and feed the fish! The water was just absolutely gorgeous and crystal clear. There were a lot of nice people on the boat too! I was about to jump back in the water after lunch when a scuba diver popped up next to me and asked me to hold a couple of sea cucumbers for her while she went and got more. It was so cool! The sea cucumbers were dark green, soft, and squishy, and when I lifted them out of the water, a stream of water jetted out of their sides. Next, I went on a tour in a glass bottom boat to experience the reef without getting wet. We learned about the reef and sea life, and we even saw a wild sea turtle! I really enjoyed learning so much about the reef, plus it's beautiful to look at! At points while I was swimming I would take off my life jacket to swim to the bottom of the reef for a better look at everything. The coral was so close at times that I got cut a few times. But it didn't hurt that badly. At one point, I turned around, and (because of the low tide) the water level had dropped and I was completely surrounded by coral that was almost touching the surface! I suffered a few bumps and bruises, but luckily, I made it out safely. All in all, it was an amazing, beautiful, once in a life time experience.