Port Douglas - Great Barrier Reef

Today we did a tour to the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas. A tender picked us up from the ship and took us to the wharf where we transferred to a large vessel that took us to the outer reef. It was a 90 minute trip, long enough to watch an interesting video about the reef and the fish and coral we could expect to see.

We were advised it was the season for stingers and so we hired Lycra suits for a small fee to offer protection. The suits covered our heads and hands so you can imagine how amazing we looked! 😉

We suited up and got all our gear on. We also opted for life jackets. The snorkelling was awesome. We were so close to the reef we could just float over beautiful coral and such varied and colourful fish. I saw plenty of blue/purple coral and fish large, small and playful but I didn't see Nemo. It's a bit hypnotic - you just want to keep swimming to see what's next but it's important to keep an eye on where you are. Before I knew it I was quite a way out, though the coral and sights were more varied further from the pontoon. 

We went in a mini submersible which gave a unique view of the reef. We saw a small reef shark, a parrot fish eating the coral and a turtle! 

It started to rain while we were there. The rain was warm and didn't impact too much on our activities. It stirred up the water and reduced visibility a bit but did not dampen my enthusiasm for such a wonderful experience. Definitely a highlight and money well spent.