Adventures Down Under: Finding Nemo!

The Great Barrier Reef from the plane- landing in Cairns

aboard the Silver Swift- view of the reef

WOW! is the best way I can explain the Great Barrier Reef. It is absolutely beautiful and like a whole other world under the water! I just returned from a four day/ three night trip to Cairns, located in the northern part of Queensland. Arielle and I both finished our last classes and decided to get out of the rainy Gold Coast and go visit the Great Barrier Reef during our “study week break” just before final exams.

We had the best time! According to the locals, June is one of the coldest months temperature wise, but to me it was so relaxing to be back in Florida-like weather and sunshine. The average temperature was about 25-27 degrees Celsius which is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. On Wednesday we went on a full day snorkel and dive cruise/tour called “Silver Swift” to the outer barrier reef. The tour was made up of three different diving locations on the outer reef and snacks and lunch were provided in between locations. We left the Port at 8:30 am and returned at about 4:30 pm- so we got a full day of snorkeling in! It was Arielle’s first time snorkeling and my second- I have been once before in the Florida Keys, but this was like nothing I ever have experienced!

map of the different reef locations

Our first stop was on the Agincourt Reef on the very outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef. There was an amazing variety of colorful coral which was highly visible in the sunshine and clear shallow water. I was blown away by the amount of coral and the massive size of the reef. We swam through corals and I can only imagine how many hundreds of years it took to create these beautiful reefs, as most corals grow only one centimeter per year!

scuba diver

the reef was so shallow / close to the surface

swimming through the reefs

After the first introductory snorkel which lasted about an hour, we had a short briefing from our guide Luke who told us all about the different species that we were seeing and what was coming up at the second stop, which I think was called Tracy- on the Flynn Reef. We saw clown fish in their natural habitat- the anemone, we saw so many different fish that were beautiful bright neon colors and patterns, and “heaps” of corals and sponges.

Nemo! and a friend in an anemone

one of my favorites- tiny neon blue fish in the corals

Some of my favorites from the day were the sea turtle and the giant clams- I have never seen either in person before and I was so glad to be able to spot them. In case anyone was wondering, YES we did see a shark! I was just snorkeling along and then all of a sudden on the other side of the coral formation there it was! We later discovered it was a reef shark, and it was supposed to be sleeping during the day (they are nocturnal) but we were considered “very lucky” to have been able to see it out and about! I think it was about five to six feet long – it definitely took me for surprise! Overall this trip - especially the snorkeling was one of the best days for me in Australia :) I am so fortunate to be here!

Enjoy the photos!