Great Barrier Reef

It’s time to slip in one of those Australia posts that I talked about earlier. One of the locations we travelled to was Cairns, on the northeast coast. Cairns is the stepping off point for much of the exploration of the world famous Great Barrier Reef. From Wikipedia, we learn that the Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Since the kids love to snorkel, we were anxious to visit a part of the reef and hopefully see some spectacular underwater sights. We perused all of the literature from the various companies that run tours out to parts of the reef and chose a fairly simple one that included snorkeling and sailing. A two-hour cruise took us out to the destination that Ocean Spirit Cruises uses – Michaelmas Cay, a reef sand island surrounded by coral gardens. I was concerned that the weather might prove to be a bit rough for me, but after a few ginger pills, I really didn’t feel any effects of the wave motion and was able to enjoy the catamaran trip with the rest of the family (who are completely unfazed by such stuff!). A semi-submersible sub tour was our first activity once we reached the mooring for the day. We were all amazed at the depth and variety of sea life. Our guide pointed out much of the marine life that we would explore ourselves later in the day, including sea turtles, eels, the usual variety of brightly colored tropical fish and coral, and giant clams over a meter across. Our sub ride ended just as lunch was being served, so we indulged in the buffet before heading over to the Cay to check out the sites in a more up close and personal manner. The rest of the time on the reef was spent exploring a soccer field-sized area with abundant colors, shapes, textures, and surprises. We were not disappointed by the beauty and rarity of the sights we saw. Most memorable for me were the giant clams with deep purple (almost black) lips accented with bright teal dots. “Small” clams, that were less than a foot across, would snap closed if you swam close. The ocean was warm and calm – perfect for spending a good deal of time floating from one coral cluster to another.


On the trip home, the captain was able to turn off the engines and sail much of the way, adding a wonderful calm to the day. The kids enjoyed riding up at the very front of the boat and watching the gorgeous crystal blue water zip by. Although we’d taken a similar trip while in Australia 7 years ago, this one will be etched in everyone’s memory because of the perfect ages of the kids and the amount we were able to share.