Great Barrier Reef

There are few photos for this post, because most of the day was spent in water. We had a beautiful, clear day with almost no wind. The temperature was in the mid-80s. Nearly perfect conditions for a day of snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.

A van picked up our group at the hotel a little before 7 a.m. and drove us nearly an hour to the Cairns harbor where we were met by a young American woman who serves as the marine biologist aboard the dive and snorkel boat, "Evolution." It was just one of several large dive boats going out this morning.

We were shown to the boat and to our table in the "Main Saloon." It was a very long booth, with benches on both sides of the table. Not too handy for the folks in the middle of each bench, and a bit crowded for 11 people and their day bags.

The boat carried about 170 passengers and a crew of at least a dozen. They do this everyday, so the system is a well-oiled machine. Each person on the boat was assigned a number, which corresponded to a small storage cubby and as a "safety number" for checking to make sure no one was left behind.

The cruise out to the Reef was about 2 hours. Coffee, tea, and tiny little muffins were set out for the taking. On the way, the crew gave us a couple of safety briefings -- one concerning the boat itself, and another about snorkeling procedures. First time snorkelers were offered more instruction, but not being first-timers, we didn't attend.

Also on the way out, we took turns going to the dive deck to get fitted for masks, fins, and "stinger suits." The suits aren't really wetsuits. They are much thinner, have hoods to cover the head, and even attached "mittens" to cover the hands. They aren't for warmth -- the water is already very warm -- but are intended to protect against jellyfish stings.

We saw no jellyfish, and it's early in the season for them. But they can be nearly invisible and the stings can be very nasty, and in some rare cases, even fatal.

The members of our group were pretty much the oldest people on the trip. There were a few other old folks, along for the ride for whatever reason. But most of the passengers were probably 20-somethings. There were a lot of very tiny bikinis and a lot of sunbathing. We noticed that we had been issued snorkels that were bright red, while most others were yellow. Undoubtedly we were marked that way for extra attention from the crew in case we old folks got into trouble in the water.

Evolution moored at a spot right on the Reef. The mooring lines are set into the sea floor at particular spots, because dropping an anchor could damage the coral. Getting more than 150 people into the water in a speedy and orderly fashion is a challenge, but it happened quite efficiently.

The snorkeling here was not quite as good as in the Galapagos a couple years ago, but it was still very good. Water was clear, visibility 20-25 feet. There were not as many fish, but many varieties and many vivid colors. The coral itself is the main thing here, with fascinating shapes and many colors, some very brown and grey, but others very vibrant, especially the violets.

After a little over an hour at this location, a lunch was served on board while the boat repositioned to another part of the Reef. The meal was better than expected, with beef, fish, prawns, and several salads. The cash bar was opened for drinks other than coffee and tea.

During the repositioning, the boat got into some swells that overcame the effectiveness of Mary's motion sickness medicine, and she began to be a bit uncomfortable. Nevertheless, she gamely suited up for another session of snorkeling at the new location. But I was on my own for much of the session here.

The water depth varied more at this location, giving the scuba divers more opportunities. Those of us on the surface, snorkeling, were watched over by the boat crew. If any snorkelers strayed too far, as lifeguard whistle would sound and the errant swimmers would be signaled to move back closer to the boat. Other crew swam around with floatation rings to rescue tired swimmers.

The trip back was very smooth, and we returned to the hotel by 5:30 p.m. We were happy for the shower to get the salt off of us, but it had been a pretty great day on the Reef, all around.