The Great Barrier Reef

Our last journey on the whistle stop tour of Australia took us to Cairns, one of several jumping points for a tour of the Great Barrier Reef. Much like seeing the Opera House for the first time, it took all of us a few moments to digest the reality of getting on a boat bound for the reef. This was perhaps made more surreal by the fact that we were joined by Peter Parker and his girlfriend, Kelly. We made friends with them at Janelle and Nick's wedding and our day on the water became a Table 10 reunion. After we put all bad Spiderman jokes aside, we hopped on the Reef Experience boat for a two-hour ride to the Outer Reef, a chunk called Norman Reef.

Reef Experience boasted their family-owned goodness before dividing us up into certified divers, novice have-a-go divers, snorkelers and passive boat sitters. Along with Rosa and I, Peter Parker was the only other certified diver on our 70-person trip. As such, Oli, Australian instructor extrodinaire, talked us through the hundred things in the ocean that would definitely try to kill us before taking us down 18 meters to a middling visibility sea.

Thus marks country number four I've dived in:

It started mildly enough with colourful coral, clownfish and the odd parrotfish:

        

 But then Oli found us a gem hidden amongst the coral diving for a snack:

 As he emerged, we made the closest equivalent to a gasp one can make with a BC:

 Our friend lazily swam:

 And rose:

 And made his way for a breath of fresh air:

We were mesmerised. And were then met with this beauty:

Once we eventually surfaced for air and I fought with water trapped in my middle ear, we marvelled. And then snorkelled where we marvelled some more. What more can I say about diving the Great Barrier Reef?