Friday 1st March 2019

An even earlier start today as we had to be ready to board our boat out to the Great Barrier Reef by 8. We had blue skies when we got up but by the time we got to the the marina it was black and just as we had to walk down to the boat the heavens opened and we were very wet before we had had any chance to get in the water!

We were on a large catamaran with about 30 other tourists and 4 crew, 3 of whom were marine biologists so knew lots of stuff! The wind speed was 20 knots so the water was very choppy and it takes an hour and a half to get out to the reef! I don’t think we quite realised how far it was. We were tossed around quite a bit as we went out, and for some people that made them rather ill, but fortunately not us. We stood at the back of the boat watching the land disappear, looking hopefully at a little bit of blue sky, and getting more wet in all the spray. All good fun!

We had a whole day out with this company, Wavelength, who visit 3 different sites in that time. We were impressed with the way they managed the day, talking to each individual about how well they could swim, if they had snorkelled before, any problems with it, health issues etc. We had clear briefings about safety, information about the reef at each site, plus we were fed and watered well. They also offered some talks as you journeyed so that you could learn more about the reef, the wildlife there and the challenges it faces.

Just an expanse of sea but you can see the waves breaking on the reef , and the lighter colour water which is the shallower water over the reef.

At our first site (by which time the sun was shining) we had up to a full hour in the water. We were kitted out with stinger suits, which cover everything except your face, masks and snorkels, flippers and what they call a noodle, which is basically a 3 foot long tube of a polystyrene type material that helps you to float. You either hold it in your hands in front of you or put it under your arms and across your chest. Even though we were on the reef the water was still choppy and there was a strong current pulling you back towards the boat. At all times one of the crew was watching the group for any problems and 2 were in the water. It did make you feel quite safe.

Geoff was quickly away as he loves snorkelling. I took my time as I struggle with the mask and snorkel and need to get used to it. When I finally launched myself into the water I was amazed at how warm it was, and very pleased too!! No worries about getting cold here!

I have no idea really about all the different types of fish and coral we saw. Suffice to say, there were many of both. It is quite a magical world, looking down and seeing all this life, and reflecting on what we had been told about the interdependence of everything. We learnt that over 50% of the worlds oxygen is created by plankton so we need them/it as much as trees, if not more! The reef wasn’t as colourful as I had been anticipating. Healthy coral is any kind of brown in colour. The colour comes from the zooxanthallae, which is tiny algae, living inside the tissue of the coral, which is technically an animal. I am sure the biologists amongst you will understand this, probably more than I do! However, when there was colour it was vibrant! And of course many of the fish were vivid colours too.

After an hour in the water here we had some refreshments -this had to be done whilst the catamaran was stationery - and then moved onto the next site. Here we had the option of going with a group and one of the specialists so that they could point things out to us. Whilst this was a much better way to see things as they were so much more observant, it was also exhausting keeping in the group and not floating off in the opposite direction!! And in a group you do bump into people more frequently! Our guide managed to find Nemo, but somehow I missed that bit!

Lunch was next and then onto our last site. Here there were some Bommy’s, underwater domes of coral with deep channels between them. Because of the tides, yes even here!, the water over the coral was shallower, making it feel like you were going to inadvertently knock into it. Not surprisingly we had been asked not to touch it at all. I have to confess to not staying in so long this time. It was exhausting and I had been biting so hard on the snorkel my face ached!!

Geoff has taken photos with his camera that can be used underwater so he has put those on the photo gallery. They are not as good as he would have liked but will give you an idea. We will also have some from Wavelength, but may not get the link for those until tomorrow, so watch out for them!

It was a great day again, probably enjoyed more by Geoff but I have all the satisfaction of having done something that does not come naturally! However it has made us think yet again on this trip about how badly we are looking after our natural world and how much we ignore the advice and knowledge of the scientists at our peril. Or perhaps not ours, but our children’s and grandchildren’s and the generations to come. Everything depends on everything else and when the links are broken then things go wrong. We were encouraged not to feel guilty today as tourists who have made long journeys to get here. The money we and others have spent gives the tourism industry a voice when it comes to making decisions like whether there should be drilling out on the reef! If tourism is an economic player then they have more chance of looking after the environment, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas. But also we need to keep on doing more to do those little things to help, and encouraging others to do the same. Save your pennies, come and see the reef and see just what a special place it is and why it needs to be protected!