The Great Barrier Reef

Day 56, Wednesday, March 8 , 2006 Forty kilometers east of Cairns is the small sand island of Michaelmas Cay. Ocean Spirit Cruises takes you out on a catamaran to the island and then shuttles you to the beach. Once there you can don your snorkel gear and head for the reef, just meters away. After several days of showers, today was perfect, scattered clouds and most important, no wind. The calm sea made for easy snorkeling, easy for those who can, that is. I was rather inept at it, taking on a lot of water, chocking frequently and generally scaring the fish. In spite of this it was an outstanding sight, endless coral of every shape and colour and numerous fish which hung around in spite of me. This is a photo of Sharron, doing it right. We wore “stinger” suits. In the afternoon they took us out on the semi submersible that goes into the deeper waters for more spectacular views of coral and marine life. Schools of fish of all sizes and colours darted around and in and out of the coral. It’s an awesome sight.
Bob’s Blog