Reef Magic

What an amazing day!!
This morning we drove into Cairns, where we checked in and boarded the Reef Magic II catamaran.  Leaving at 9 am, we enjoyed an hour and a half's cruise across the beautiful Coral Sea. Well, some of us did. Esther turns out to share her Dad's tendency to get "dizzy" from the boat's motion and became very quiet, eventually falling asleep!  Arthur (like me) was totally unaffected, and had fun staggering all over the ship as it rode the swell.  He was also very interested in the video presentation and talk we had from a marine biologist, who told us about how the Great barrier Reef was formed; the difference between fringing reefs, patch reefs, cays and coral islands; hard and soft corals and how they are formed, and described some of the fish found in the reef.

Eventually we reached our destination: the Marine World pontoon moored on the Outer Reef.   We had five hours in which to enjoy our choice of activities, but after changing into swimming gear our first appointment was a private snorkelling lesson and tour with Amy, the marine biologist who was on board with us. We had been given a demonstration onboard of how to use the snorkel and fins, but Philip thought it would be better to have some more formal instruction before venturing into the Outer Reef on our own!  The added benefit of another pair of hands with the kids as they gained confidence was a bonus.

That was a truly amazing experience!  Looking down into the reef, with the many colours and shapes of the corals and the rich diversity of fish was like catching a glimpse of a whole new world!  While we got the hang of breathing through the snorkels and listened to Amy's explanations of what we saw, we came face to face with Wally, a big Maori Wrasse.  He was amazingly friendly- swimming among us as though in greeting, nudging our hands with his mouth and rubbing against us much as a cat would!

Later we took a ride on the Semi Sub, which gave us a different view of the reef and an interesting commentary.  The children were particularly delighted to learn that parrot fish use their beak-like mouths to scrape at the coral, and then "poo out sand"... and that sea cucumbers breathe through their bottoms!  We saw examples of staghorn and plate corals which grow relatively quickly, as well as the slow-growing boulder corals. 

The view through the windows couldn't compare with the amazing sights while snorkelling, however, so we found some flippers and snorkels and got back into the water- this time on our own.  Esther went with Philip, while Arthur and I kept an eye on each other.  We were amazed to see how confident they were.  At first Arthur wanted to be totally independent, but after he had swum up and tapped the "wrong Mum" on the arm he decided it was just as much fun holding hands and pointing things out to each other.

Included in this amazing package were the use of snorkelling equipment including swimming vests, tours of the reef in a Semi-Submersible or a Glass Bottom Boat, fish feeding, an underwater observatory, morning and afternoon tea and a delicious buffet lunch. Apart from having lunch, we had no time to do any of the other activities, let alone the optional extras on offer such as a helicopter tour, scuba or helmet diving or a massage.  Seldom have five hours gone so quickly! We were extremely impressed with the cheerfulness and friendliness of the staff.  They made us feel personally welcome and when we needed anything they were more than happy to help.  I don't have an underwater camera, but a professional photographer in diving gear took photos while we were snorkelling, which we were able to purchase on a USB stick along with a series of reef photos. The credit for all the underwater photos included here go to her!
Thank you Philip, for a wonderful birthday present!  As the children kept saying, "The best part is that we can share it too!"