Rest and Reef-laxation

Sea Enemies... I think I said that right...

So upon arriving back in Australia and leaving the cold land of New Zealand I found myself in the warm sun of Northern Queensland. To be more precise I was in a placed called Cairns. It is actually pronounced Cans. (I know. I don't get how they use the English language down here either, just go with it.) Named for Governor William Wellington Cairns (I wonder how he pronounced it) it is a warm and tropical city that sits on the north-eastern coastline of Australia in a place known as the Coral Sea.

The city itself is basically a beach town. It seems like the kind of place you find along Virgina or Delaware shore, and maybe it was just my biological clock kicking in, as summer is in full swing back home, but it got me feeling in a very vacation-esque type of mood. I spent my days walking around in a bathing suit and tank-top marveling at everyone else in bathing suits and tank tops. However, I was not here on vacation as I had a mission to complete, a very important mission. It is no coincidence that the city is located on a place called the Coral Sea. As maybe you have already guessed I came to Cairns with a very specific destination in mind, the Great Barrier Reef.

Yes, after millions of delays and many hours sleeping in McDonalds I had finally reached the place where I would fulfill one of my top-listed activities, snorkeling the Barrier Reef. I was booked the very next day on a cruise out to see a part of the reef.

Top shot of the Reef

As way of background, the Great Barrier Reef is the world' largest reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching over 1,600 miles. Like the Great Wall of China and the Great Chicken of Kentucky it can be seen from space and it is the biggest single structure made by living organisms. When I say made, what I more accurately mean is that the reef itself is composed of billions of tiny organisms known as coral polyps. The reef is teeming with all sorts of living organisms and the array of tropical fish you can see when gliding above it is astounding. You are literally swimming in a tropical fish tank encountering every type of fish in every type of color. I even saw a clown fish (for those of you who will ask if I found Nemo.) Among other designations the reef is listed as a World Heritage Site, and is labeled as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Most of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park which limits the impact of humans on the environment. However, with millions of tourists arriving every year I wonder how true that is. I say thsi mostly, because while I was snorkeling I saw a fish trying to eat a small plastic bag. I dutifully dove down and grabbed the bag, and (after a short tug of war with the bag's would be predator) I brought it back to the surface where I deposited it in its proper receptacle.

Fish, fish, everywhere and not seaweed roll in sight.

Yet life was not all beauty and recycling. The night before I went to the reef I was struck with tragedy. My camera broke, and my attempt to try and find a store which could fix it only turned up into frustration. (There is literally no camera shops in Cairns... They told I would have to go to Brisbane.) Thankfully, though, my picture taking endeavours were rescued when I saw a sign hanging up in the hostel. I was able to rent an underwater camera for $45 a day. So not only was I able to get my hands on a camera, but also one that could survive under the water. It was a bit big and concealed in this hard-plastic case, but I found that it only acted like a deadly anchor if I ever stopped paddling my feet. I am, however, glad that I was able to play photographer at the reef as there was so much more beauty than I could ever describe using simple words. Even the pictures do not do the reef justice as the camera tends to wash out some of the vibrant and incredible colors of the undersea world.

I will be the first to admit that I have my reservations about water, especially water in the middle of the sea with a possibility that you could get left by the boat, but once I got a handle on swimming with my face down and making sure not to clog up my snorkel I found myself really enjoying the experience. I floated inches above sea anemones, fish colonies, giant clam shells, and all sorts of sea life that I had only ever seen in an aquarium. It is almost shocking to understand that such life actually exists in the wild and not just in control environments where kids can obnoxiously press their face up against the glass.

I also spent my day doing more than just snorkeling as I too a chance to have a glass bottom boat ride and spent some time in a semi-submersible that toured the farther reaches of the reef section. I was also fed a giant seafood lunch (which in retrospect seemed somewhat wrong, but heck, who can argue with good sushi.) I ended my day soaked, but happy. I can cross the Great Barrier Reef off my list and I spent the day exploring a world that most people will only ever see in Pixar movies.