After our stop at Brisbane, we had another day at sea. One of the things I liked about the Royal Princess was the water show they had every night on the pool deck. There was an elevated platform between the two pools that had deck chairs on it during the day. At night, there was a water fountain show set to music and video on the big screen. They had several different shows.
Our next stop was Airlie Beach. This was a tender port. We had booked an all day Great Barrier Reef excursion through the ship. A large catamaran came right to the ship and picked us up for the two hour ride to Hardy Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the world. It's the largest living structure on the planet, and is visible from space. It consists of 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 800 miles. It's home to thousands of species of marine life, including fish, whales, dolphins, and six of the world's seven species of marine turtle.
The catamaran took us out to a permanent platform at Hardy Reef.
On the platform they handed out snorkel gear and wetsuits to keep you safe from jellyfish stings. The suits made us look like Oompa Loompas. For an additional fee, you could do some beginner scuba. There was also a viewing room on the lower level under the water. We did not see much down there.
Kevin is not a fan of snorkeling, but I gave it a try. I've snorkeled a few times before, and am not very good at it. Somehow, I always manage to swallow the salt water which makes me cough a lot. The same thing happened this time. I did manage to stay out for about 30 minutes and saw lots of beautiful colored fish and coral.
There were buoys above the water to help guide you along the outer ledge of the reef. This was the best place to see the fish and coral.
We had met a couple from Tucson on the boat ride to the reef. The wife was not snorkeling, so the husband offered to be my buddy. He had an underwater camera, and has shared the following pictures with me. Seeing the underwater beauty was something I'll never forget!!
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| That's me |
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| An eel |
I was surprised how much of the coral you could see from the top. When the tide is low, some of the coral is exposed to the sun. This kills that coral, which is the part you can see from the top.
It was such an amazing experience to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. One of those once in a lifetime experiences!
Our next stop will be Cairns where we will be visiting a tropical rainforest.
Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!
