The Great Barrier Reef - "Ocean Spirit" from Cairns

"Ocean Spirit" turned out to be a gorgeous catamaran with 3 large sails. We got on, time for tea, coffee, and cakes, and when we put to sea it was time for the safety talk - by a French dive master - he had some natural authority - I was really impressed by his presentation in English - he gave us all the information about the snorkels and masks and fins and what to do with them, wet suit hire (which we didn't go for, but there was an option to go diving) and the UV protection suits (would have been a good idea but we were a bit blase). I had to stay on the deck for the sea-journey because it was a bit rough - I need to keep my eye on the sea to prevent being sick - but it was great; I have never seen such a blue sea and I kept taking pics of all the different blues.

Can't access my pics from here so here's a Winslow Homer!

In the lounge an attractive marine biologist gave a talk on types of fish and the island - Michaelmas Cay. This turned out to be a reserve for seabirds - there are tens of thousands of them - and tourists are not allowed near them; we were to stay in a small area of the white sandy beach. It also turned out that the wind there is very strong, and with the smelly birds and the sandblasting nobody would want to spend much time on the beach. I took a book with me and the pages became separated and the spine swollen with sand forced in.

It turns out that I am fine with snorkelling kit (no probs with mask which had nose covered: it was really good) but almost immediately we got in the sea and started to see the fish we went in different directions because were so distracted. Not wanting to hit the coral with my fins I hardly used them but F went off like a rocket as she is very fast with fins on. The most prolific coral just there was the one that looks like living spaghetti - a very active coral that lives close to the surface. There were prettier ones; like a branching one with purple tips and green sparkly bits, and the clam with outrageous lips. there was a strange clam with frilly white openings - two different shapes. There were no schools or shoals of large fish at that place but there were some beautifully coloured "loners"; I can't describe them exactly but they have "art deco" colours in striking patterns; they look very modern and you just want to stay still and study them but you can't.

We went and lay on the beach for a while and discussed what we had seen and how hard it was not to touch the coral and discussed the skill required to go slowly and watch more. After about twenty mins we went back in the sea, intending to stay together, and F and I managed to do this for a while, until she started to dive down in the deep parts (very fit our girlie). I stayed in the sea as long as poss but we had a deadline for lunch and had to catch the ferry back to the boat. We got dry enough to go into the saloon and had hot food (vegetarian curry - lovely) and a chilled buffet of salads.

Another activity on offer was a trip in a semi-submersible; a launch tightly-packed below like a row of bus-seats, where we could navigate between the banks of coral and get a good view of it all through the glass walls.  That was excellent for people who weren't up to snorkelling (or even getting wet).

Back on the boat there were cakes and coffee, and we had a stiff wind and a rough-ish sea back to the land, and the catamaran went up and down far more than it progressed towards the shore. About 20 people were properly sick, but the smartly-dressed crew went about distributing, collecting, and disposing of sick bags in a very professional way. I sat still and kept my eyes on the horizen as much as poss for the three hours it took to get back to the harbour. It made me very sunburnt and tired. I especially got burnt whilst I was snorkelling around my bum and the backs of my legs which have not see much sun for many years. I am being a brave soldier because actually it was all fantastic. When we came into harbour we even got a glass of bubbly.

Before we go home we want to go for another reef trip. The reef is the greatest living thing in the world and we are so lucky to have visited - what a fantastic trip.