QLD - Day 3: Great Barrier Reef
Another early start heading out to the Great Barrier Reef for the day with 'check in' at Reef Fleet Terminal 7.30am! We took the 'Passions of Paradise' boat out to the outer reef which kicked off with coffee and muffins and the usual safety brief. We headed out to the Michaelmas Cay, which is a bird sanctuary sand island in the middle of the GBR and a 1.5 hour boat trip from Cairns.
Here Nathan and I did our 1st scuba dive! I had done an introductory dive a few years back so knew what to expect, however Nathan was a little overawed with the whole dive experience and was flapping around in the water with eyes like saucers behind his mask! I was just below the surface trying to avoid his fins! But he braved it and we both did a dive with our instructor Emma, she showed us some amazing coral and fish and we saw a clown fish in the soft coral just like Nemo!
Back on the boat we had a delicious lunch and headed to our next site. This was Paradise Reef, Nathan did a 2nd dive and went deeper for longer! I decided to snorkel and again we both saw some fantastic sights. The water was a little chilly and wetsuits were required it was also a bit murky as the tides were very high but overall it was great! Back on board for afternoon tea we headed back to Cairns for our final night before starting our massive road trip down the coast!
The Great Barrier Reef - in the sea!
All aboard the Passions of Paradise!
Joanna finds her spot!
Hmmm!
Nathan just chilling nautical style.
Arty shot of the mask, hmmmm again!
Looking out towards the reef with the wetsuits drying while we enjoy lunch.
Michaelmas Cay
Some BIG fish! Batfish and other random large ones who could move VERY fast when there was food involved!
Resuming the normal position!
A big silver cleat - Nathan being arty again.
And again
Cairns Esplanade with the lagoon behind
Cairns, looking north towards Cape Tribulation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accommodation Review: Cairns Central YHA, Cairns, Australia
Cairns YHA is a large hostel with plenty of bathroom, kitchen and living space. The bathrooms and kitchen was clean and tidy. We had a family room which was massive with plenty of room to spread! It's fairly close to the city centre about a 10-15 minute walk. Even though the YHA is a large hostel is wasn't noisy and we had a good stay. There is a pool and spa and the outdoor space is very pleasant to spend time there.
Trip Review: Passions of Paradise, Cairns, Australia
A great day trip which takes in the outer reef and provides some amazing diving and snorkelling experiences. Good value which includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. The Passions staff were great and were very knowledgeable about the reef and the dive masters made us feel safe and looked after us very well. A great day out!
Here Nathan and I did our 1st scuba dive! I had done an introductory dive a few years back so knew what to expect, however Nathan was a little overawed with the whole dive experience and was flapping around in the water with eyes like saucers behind his mask! I was just below the surface trying to avoid his fins! But he braved it and we both did a dive with our instructor Emma, she showed us some amazing coral and fish and we saw a clown fish in the soft coral just like Nemo!
Back on the boat we had a delicious lunch and headed to our next site. This was Paradise Reef, Nathan did a 2nd dive and went deeper for longer! I decided to snorkel and again we both saw some fantastic sights. The water was a little chilly and wetsuits were required it was also a bit murky as the tides were very high but overall it was great! Back on board for afternoon tea we headed back to Cairns for our final night before starting our massive road trip down the coast!
The Great Barrier Reef - in the sea!
All aboard the Passions of Paradise!
Joanna finds her spot!
Hmmm!
Nathan just chilling nautical style.
Arty shot of the mask, hmmmm again!
Looking out towards the reef with the wetsuits drying while we enjoy lunch.
Michaelmas Cay
Some BIG fish! Batfish and other random large ones who could move VERY fast when there was food involved!
Resuming the normal position!
A big silver cleat - Nathan being arty again.
And again
Cairns Esplanade with the lagoon behind
Cairns, looking north towards Cape Tribulation----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accommodation Review: Cairns Central YHA, Cairns, Australia
Cairns YHA is a large hostel with plenty of bathroom, kitchen and living space. The bathrooms and kitchen was clean and tidy. We had a family room which was massive with plenty of room to spread! It's fairly close to the city centre about a 10-15 minute walk. Even though the YHA is a large hostel is wasn't noisy and we had a good stay. There is a pool and spa and the outdoor space is very pleasant to spend time there.
Trip Review: Passions of Paradise, Cairns, Australia
A great day trip which takes in the outer reef and provides some amazing diving and snorkelling experiences. Good value which includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. The Passions staff were great and were very knowledgeable about the reef and the dive masters made us feel safe and looked after us very well. A great day out!
Labels: great_barrier_reef, photos, queensland
posted by Nathan at
01:36
2 Comments Return to Top of Page
