Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef

Wednesday, November 16

We were up early to catch the bus to take us on our snorkeling tour of the Great Barrier Reef. The Quicksilver company was recommended by a woman we met in Sydney on our Harbor Bridge Climb. They were a little more expensive than the other companies, but I think they had a more comprehensive program and were obviously well-prepared for any and all tourist-related situations.

Boarding the boat

It took about 90 minutes to get out to the pontoon at the Agincourt Reef dive site. On the way, the crew showed us a video about how to snorkel. I admit, I watched this with great interest because my last few snorkeling attempts have been great failures. I don't know what it is, but I just get really panicky underwater. Having that mask stuck to my face and the snorkel thingy shoved in my maw is just horrible. Don't get me started on the flippers.

One item of interest that was repeated several times was that there is a high possibilty that there will be "marine stingers" in the water. Now, by "marine stingers" they actually mean Box Jellyfish AKA venomous death blobs that will kill you as soon as look at you. In fact, they don't even look at you because they don't have eyes. They just have tentacles. And if even the teeny tiny tip of a tentacle even brushes against your teeny tiny toe, you die a slow horrible gasping death.

But, never fear. In order to avoid 400 tourists writhing in unimaginable agony on the decks of the pontoon, Quicksilver provides "stinger suits" which apparently protect the wearer from the stinging creatures. Maybe the electric-blue lycra spandex deflects the stings. Or maybe it scares the life out of everything in it's path. You be the judge:

Auditioning for the Blue Man Group.

My match.com photo

Awwww...

Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up.

Anyway. Once we were suited up, it was time to get in the water. Even though they make it easy by providing a snorkeling platform where you get basically just sit down and your in the water, I was fairly terrified. My heart was thumping so loudly I could barely hear Doug trying to reassure me that it would all be fun.

The snorkeling platform. At least I wasn't dorky enough to wear a life jacket over my stinger suit.

We got in the water, and it wasn't long before I was being knocked around by little waves and had taken in a huge mouthful of water. I was trying to stay within the "if you're not a strong swimmer" zone, where they suggest that children, the elderly, and the infirm should stay. But I soon realized that my chances of drowning were great increased due to the presence of other flailing, panicked landlubbers. So, I made the executive decision that I'd strike out for the calmer waters of the "if you're a confident swimmer" zone.

Best decision I ever made. The water was calmer (even if the current was not) and soon I had gotten the hang of the skorkeling thing and was chasing after schools of fish. Doug and I stayed in the water for over an hour and went in for a second trip later. It was fascinating seeing the coral reef and all of the crazy fish and other creatures that live in it. We even saw several clown fish (that's Nemo to us mere mortals). I was absurdly pleased by that.

They call this the "dead man's float." Eek!


It was our last real day of vacation (at least together, Doug was staying on in Sydney for another two days). So, we went back to our favorite restaurant in Port Douglas (of the two we tried): Salsa Bar & Grill. Another great meal complete with witty banter with our new best friend - our waitress who looked just like Cate Blanchett playing Katharine Hepburn.

Later, after waiting 40 minutes for a cab that would never come, we ran into the Nuts people from the night before. They were also waiting for a cab and offered us a ride back to the hotel once their car finally came. They were a hilarious group of friends who vacation together every year. Good times.