Last Trip to the Great Barrier Reef: Part I

Sunday November 21^st:

What a day (and night) this has been! A last minute change of plans meant that Kristen would be joining me on my boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We got a massive buffet breakfast at 6 A.M and boarded the catamaran powerboat that would take us to the larger boat we were staying on. It was a pretty bouncy crossing … I managed to sleep through most of it but apparently people were throwing up left and right (naturally said in an Australian accent.) It was a little creepy at one point, for as we pulled up to the larger boat we were told to clear one section of the bench as the crew carried this woman up the stairs and laid her down. She was gasping for air and was not looking too good – pretty sure she was just having a panic attack after being sick for the majority of the ride over, but it was still creepy seeing her shake and gasp for air as they gave her oxygen to calm her down. Imagine a scene from any exorcism movie and you wouldn’t be far off. Another indicator of the bounciness was this man who was just crying as he walked up the stairs. For the whole morning it was rainy and windy so as we left the smaller boat to go to the larger one it was a bit of an adventure. That was probably the most rugged part of the trip, and most likely the most rugged part we will face as we are living like a king and queen. To say we are well looked after is a major understatement. It would be impossible to describe our treatment without sounding unbearably pretentious so just take my word that this is a most excellent vacation. We arrived at the boat around 11 and dropped our bags off in the room before having a lunch of risotto and a steak burger (see what I mean about not sounding pretentious?) Shortly after we went out for our first dive! I was really happy to find out that despite not being certified Kristen would be allowed to come diving with me. Aydan, the dive guide assigned to us, gave her a brief but thorough introduction (probably 15 minutes) in our room and then we were off. I was really proud of Kristen and just so excited to see her enjoying diving so much! There is a reason the Great Barrier Reef is considered one of the best, if not the best, dive sites in the world and it is obvious from the second you get in the water. Almost immediately after entering the water we saw two or three white tip reef sharks, which was pretty cool. 

On our second dive we encountered a really friendly turtle that let us pet its back. Such an adorable little guy – and quite the hungry little fellow. He would just chomp away as we stroked its back and swam right up to it. Every now and then it would wipe its face on one of its fins, which was just really cute. 

Look at that little tail!