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Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Dec. 12th - to the Great Barrier Reef
 Another
sweltering morning in the tropics. We had a 9 AM departure for
Green Island in the Barrier Reef. The catamaran was full of
Chinese and Japanese tourists. We shared a section of seats
with a family from Hong Kong. It took 75 minutes to get out to
the island. Snorkeling equipment was passed out as soon as you
boarded.
 The
island has a resort hotel on it but is mostly developed to
serve day trippers. We headed to the beach right away. AD
complained about his equipment not fitting. Snorkeling gear
never fits comfortably. Either the mask leaks or it's too
tight (which is better). His flippers weren't comfortable. The
morning was a loss fighting over it all. We saw very little
coral and only small fish in the section we were in. The water
around this island was cloudy from the sand. We asked about
the water clarity and found out that a
 cyclone
10 year ago damaged the reef moving sand around and it is
repairing itself.
After our lunch on the ship, we snorkeled in a better spot off
the island. AD used the equipment again but without
complaining. This area had many different types of coral, and
colorful fish. There were specimens of giant clams and a sting
ray. Snorkeling is quite tiring. 90 minutes more after the
time this morning was enough. It's quite wonderful floating
above the fish below.
 Part
of our Reef experience was in a semi-submarine. It is an odd
vessel with seating and glass sides below the water level. You
sit 2 on a seat. They cruised out to deeper sections of the
Reef that held all types of coral, giant clams, and lots of
life. We saw sharks, sea turtles, and schools of fish. The
semi-sub was the best part of the day. We returned to Cairns
at 5 PM.
Where to eat dinner is a constant challenge. We drove away
from the city center to find a neighborhood restaurant. There
wasn't much to choose from as we drove way out of the city.
The only thing we found was an area with fast food and the
Smithfield Tavern. The tavern ended up being quite the find.
It reminded me of the Elk's Club. They have a nightly buffet
for a reasonable price and good food.
Laundry, computer work, and TV ended our day.
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AD Journal |
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The Great Barrier Reef sits on the
continental shelf off the north east coast of Australia.
It is made up of different types of coral. Coral
provides a home to many kinds of fish, turtles and other
marine life. Yesterday, we went snorkeling on the Reef.
To snorkel you wear a mask, flippers and use breathing
tube. You swim along the top of the water looking down
at the colorful fish.
 After
snorkeling, we went in a semi-submarine. They took us
out further on the reef. We saw two white tipped sharks,
green sea turtles, and many types of fish. There are 3
different types of coral. They look like their names.
(spaghetti, brain, stag horn) There are many islands
scattered in the Reef. Some islands have resorts on
them.
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Tjapukai and Kuranda...» |
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