10/5 - Port Douglas; Great Barrier Reef
This was our last day, and we saved the best for last with our trip to the
Great Barrier Reef. Needless to say, the weather was again perfect. Visiting
the Reef required another trip to Port Douglas, which suggests that we should
have considered staying there rather than Cairnes. Port Douglas is the
departure point for a 30KM boat ride (Quicksilver Reef Cruise) out to an
anchored platform on the reef. The platform visit provided a swimming/snorkeling
area, lunch, and a short trip in a glass-sided submersible The trip
to the platform was very comfortable, including both inside and outside areas
for sitting. Tea/coffee were provided and other drinks/candies were available
at surprisingly modest prices.
During the boat ride out, we were offered an opportunity to include a 45
minute snorkling excursion with a naturalist to our platform visit. Another
possibility was to go scuba diving, even with no prior experience! We had
been warned not to scuba within 24 hours of flying, so I opted for the snorkling
(for an extra $35A). In addition, I chose to pay the $5A fee to obtain a
wet suit. This was more to protect against being scratched by coral than
to protect from water temperatures.
To do the snorkling, we took a small boat 100 meters away from the platform.
I had asked for and obtained special magnifying goggles to compensate for
my extreme nearsightedness. They worked just fine. The ocean had a few waves,
but once you were looking down at the amazing coral, they were completely
forgotten. The pattern was to follow the naturalist who would occasionally
point down at an interesting fish, shell, or coral formation after which
she would return to the surface to explain what we had just seen. The water
was 5-7 meters deep and crystal clear. The formations, fish, and shells were
overwhelming. I highly recommend the additional expense of this option.
Upon returning from the snorkeling adventure, we had a nice buffet lunch
that included many sea food selections. After lunch, we took a 30 minute
narrated ride on a semisubmersible boat with glass sides, which enabled us
to view the coral underwater and to learn something about what we were seeing.
Aside from the fact that my pictures from inside the boat did not come out
very well, the view was great.
Returning to the platform, I decided to try the water again. A marked off
section was available for snorkling from the platform. I found this to be
not nearly as interesting as what I had seen on the morning's guided excursion.
The trip back to Port Douglas enabled us to see a little of what Captain
Cook saw when he explored this area several hundred years before and nearly
became entrapped by the reef. After an uneventful ride back to Cairnes, we
settled for a decent sandwich for dinner at the esplanade restaurant called
Driftin.