Today was the day I had long been waiting for since planning this trip! Snorkling THE Great Barrier Reef. Just idea of swimming in the natural environment of the most gorgeous fishes made me squeal! During the three hour boat ride to the reef Jo and I were graced with the beauty of the local islands for the first quarter then the rest was spent being warned of all the potentially dangerous fish and currents, and all those things you just looooooove to hear before you submerge yourself in the middle of the pacific ocean.
Once we arrived to the reef we hoped off as soon as we could and suited up! That is in our attractive, fluorescent sting suits. We were fortunate to not run into any jellyfish in these waters but were mere feet from a me-sized shark (think 5 feet...yes I'm incredibly short). I didn't get a photo of it since I didn't acutally see it. I interpreted Jo's pointing frantically as "move over there" and missed it! Hence why there, sadily, is no photo to highlight it.
After the initial dip, which was a bit unnerving due to said dangers, it didn't take long to get distracted by all the colorful coral and playful fishes! It was sunny the entire time and the water was incredibly clear! Some areas we swam over were so close that you could easily touch the coral (if it weren't forbidden) then there was a cliff where the bottom was nowhere to be seen.
We had a nice big snorkeling area which which we stayed in for an hour then went on to have lunch and a ride in the submarine. The only downside to this trip was that you only spent three hours on the reef while it took a total of six hours of traveling to and from. Buuuuut I think it goes without saying that it's definitely worth the experience! Even a mother brought her SIXTEEN MONTH OLD baby to jump in! He was all suited up and everything! So cute!
This video here is of the most ballsy, cracked-up fish of the reef. While all others were swimming away taking shelter in the coral as we swam by, this one just came up and started dodging at me and even bit Jo! I took about 5 videos throughout the day and although they all show the coral and view better, this one wins on pure entertainment! Enjoy!