Alsops in Cairns

Our first stop in Australia was the city of Cairns, the stepping stone to the Great Barrier Reef. We had a buffer day of time to city before our snorkeling trip the next day, so we poked around. There was quite a bit to see! I loved hearing the locals talk in their lilting accent. I quickly learned that “Maccers” was McDonald’s and trolley meant shopping cart. Even speaking the same language doesn’t make sense sometimes! The boardwalk in Cairns was wonderful! The public park on the beach has a splash pad and infinity pool, creating a nice effect. Walking along the shoreline we examined the mudflats and saw yellow masked shorebirds forage for mud skippers and crabs. Further down we found some sandy edge and started combing for shells. We found some incredible shells right there on the city edge. Some gorgeous and delicate kinds I have never seen before. We passed a tree full of large yellow blooms and what looked like giant colorful butterflies flapping around. When we got closer, we realized they were lorikeets! The tree was full of these bright little parrots with impressive plumage. I couldn’t believe it. I always loved seeing lorikeets in the aviary and admired their beautiful markings. And now here was a whole flock of wild ones right in the downtown area!! It was a good surprise.

On our walk back to our AirBnB, we noticed some large birds the size of ravens coming out and cruising the darkening sky. We were surprised for a second time—they were great fruit bats! Many of them swooped around like night kites. Little did we know that Australia had many surprises in store for us.

The next morning we woke up early to head out on our reef cruise. We stepped out into 53 degree temperatures. We joked about how crazy it was to plan on snorkeling in such brisk weather. It might have been tempting to shift our plans, but this was the king of all snorkeling opportunities—The Great Barrier Reef itself. So we pulled our hoodies close and headed to the wharf. After a brief orientation we were off! Salty breeze in our hair, I liked sitting at the very front of the boat and watching the waves break against the boat. It felt like we were heading straight out to sea for several hours. It seemed impossible that a giant shallow reef could exist way out here. And then finally, we were there. Looking around you could see the lighter water color, but the wind was intense and the waves large. That with the chilly temperature made for some daunting snorkeling. Squeezing into my wetsuit, I snapped the rubber mask onto my face and hopped into the brisk water. I was the first one in. 🙂 I was immediately met with an underwater city. Everywhere you looked were large colorful fish and giant corals. Every single place you oook on the reed has something vibrant and interesting to look at. I admit that I wondered if the Great Barrier was really all that great. I realized instantly that it was. Parrotfish the size of my arm farted through huge canyons of coral. Fish of every color imaginable went about their business. Yes, even that neon section of the crayola box was represented. The corals themselves were like psychedelic light displays. I couldn’t believe how dramatic it was. I loved exploring alongside the drop offs, where the coral gives way to open ocean, creating overhangs and shelfs of color that were popular with the fishes. I couldn’t get enough of it.

It was advanced snorkeling though. The waves were tall and cold. It took some skill to maneuver the mask and fins in the choppy water and avoid being smashed onto the bony reef. I had to get out a couple times to catch my breath and warm up. I couldn’t believe they brought people out here who don’t know how to swim and have never snorkeled before. With their subpar equipment and rough seas, those people seemed to really struggle. I was glad we brought our own masks. I guess that’s what you get for going with the cheapest company out there. We were just glad to get to go out at all. 🙂

We ended up stopping at two separate parts of the outer reef before we had to go back. We went to bed very tired and happy.