The Great Barrier Reef

With no small amount of reluctance, we left Singapore bound for Cairns in North Eastern Queensland. You would think that by now we would be accustomed to travelling through the night, but we still arrived in Cairns exhausted.

A quick cat nap later and we headed off for a bite to eat and to make plans. Ultimately, we settled on a one-day sailing/snorkelling trip aboard a beautiful looking catamaran, Passions of Paradise. Motoring out of Cairns the next morning, munching on muffins and cuppa, we headed for our first snorkelling destination on the Great Barrier Reef, Paradise Cove. We had the option of hiring a wetsuit, which I thought I would go for. On hearing my accent, the crew member in question suggested that being Irish, I would be acclimatised to the cold so I wouldn’t need one – clearly, she doesn’t know me!!!!

As novice snorkelers, we were bound to be impressed, but we were lucky. With so many boats leaving the coast every morning, some locations become crowded, but Paradise Cove was quiet.

For us, this meant fewer people in the water to frighten away the fish! Donning the masks, fins and snorkels, we hit the water for our first taste of the Great Barrier Reef. It didn’t disappoint.

We saw stunning corals, sea anemones waving back and forth in the tide, beautifully vibrant fish in all colours. I was even lucky enough to see a small reef shark lurking in the depths.

It may be Oz, but it is coming into winter and the water does get cold, so we retired to the boat for a spot of lunch and basked in the Queensland sun to warm up and dry off!

The afternoon brought us to our second snorkelling destination, Michaelmas Cay. The cay is formed entirely of sand and coral as a result of tidal movements. Migrating birds dropping seeds have resulted in scattered vegetation taking root and over the years, it has become one of the most important breeding grounds for birds in the Great Barrier Reef. Fortunately for us, it is also home to some gorgeous fish, coral and even some turtles. The island is carefully protected with only a small area set aside for people to visit, the remainder being roped off for the birds. Unless you are prepared to shell out the $7,500 fine, you stay where you are told! Having the luxury this time of snorkelling off the shore, we could chill out on the sand and then dip back in for another look. We even managed to see a couple of turtles as we made our way back to the boat. Arriving back at the boat we were welcomed by a few Giant Travelli, these big, inquisitive fish are certainly not shy and you would be forgiven for thinking they are sharks, but we were well reassured by the crew that they are just curious!!

And how better to finish the day than to put up sail and let the wind take us home. Day 1 in Oz – verdict – awesome!