The Great Barrier Reef

Under the sea, we go…

The Great Barrier reef is one of the world’s most stunning natural wonders.  Just below the ocean’s surface lies a world of magnificent sea creatures, coral and other organisms that make the Great Barrier a place you need to check off your bucket list!  According to greatbarrierreef.org, this reef is a collection of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays with hundreds of tropical islands.  Here is an inside look at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Picture credit: pro dive cairns

When Eric and I arrived in Cairns, we were so ready to get in the water.  Our morning in Cairns was sunny and bright.  I mean look at that sunrise!

After we got to our terminal at the Reef Fleet Terminal, we found our tour guides.  We choose the Down Under Cruise & Dive for the great value.  I would really recommend them to anyone looking for a great an interesting tour.  The value for this tour cost us $145 AU dollars.  On this tour, we were able to go to three different reefs as well as a BBQ lunch.

After we got our safety briefing done, we were off our journey.  Unfortunately, for the first 2 hours of our trip, there were a lot of clouds that blocked the sunlight.  TIP: We cannot control the weather, but if you can try to book your trips on days where there is not a lot of clouds or rain, you will enjoy your views much better.  (But don’t feel bad if you go out on a cloudy day, it is still beautiful).  On our first stop, the water was very choppy but they let us out of the boat anyway.

The first couple of pictures we took (due to lack of sunlight) did not come out as good as we had hoped.  However, the wonderment of swimming in the Great Barrier reef was astounding.

On on our next stop, the sun was shining and we were able to take some fantastic pictures.  The sunlight allowed us to see the true beauty of the barrier reef.  We were lucky because the tide was out and we were able to see the reef from a different perspective: above the water.

The sun also gave us the ability to see the true beauty from under the water.  Light totally transforms pictures and it made the water look more inviting.   Fair warning, it was still pretty cold.

The beauty was overwhelming and stunning, we also saw the more devastating reality to the reefs.  The sight of Coral Bleaching was a pretty common sight on the outskirts of the reef.  According to globalcoralbleaching.org, an organization that works to raise awareness:

“The new phenomenon of global coral bleaching events is caused by ocean warming (93% of climate change heat is absorbed by the ocean). Corals are unable to cope with today’s prolonged peaks in temperatures – they simply haven’t been able to adapt to the higher base temperatures of the ocean.”  

 I have heard this phenomenon was happening, but it wasn’t until we swam within the coral reefs that it really I have heard this phenomenon was happening, but it wasn’t until we swam within the coral reefs that it really hit me…this is real.  We have to take care of our earth.  We have to try harder to preserve areas like these.

The Great Barrier Reef was a dream come true.  This vast ecosystem holds the life of thousands of marine animals, corals and other organisms.  It will always hold a special piece in my heart.  If you get a chance to travel to Australia, please do visit the Great Barrier Reef.  We don’t know how long we will be able to have this beautiful place.

So go, explore and travel.