Reef: Day 1

Me, snorkeling.

The boat that took us to the reef.

Today was another early start.  We got up around 6:20 and got ready to leave the hotel.  We drove north from Palm Cove, where we are staying, to Port Douglas.  (Most diving companies, including ours, operate there.)  We boarded the boat and rode it for about an hour and a half out to the outer reef.  This means that the parts of the reef that we saw were on the edge farthest from the mainland.  The coral here is much nicer and healthier because less companies take people there.

The first place where we stopped was called the Three Sisters.  When we first put our heads in the water, we couldn't believe how clear the water was, and how many different colors of coral and fish there were.  The fish were so graceful as they darted in and out of the coral formations.   Here, and at the other two sites, we saw many parrot fish.  Parrot fish eat coral, digest the algae, and basically poop out sand.  Fun.  When I went underwater, away from the noise of the waves, I could actually hear them chew.  (Unfortunately, the waterproof bag with my dad's phone didn't behave in the salt water, so we only got a few photos.)  We snorkeled for about an hour before getting back on the boat and driving to our second of three location.

The second stop was called Phil's, and we all agreed that it was more colorful than the first.  There was a  more colorful variety of fish and coral.  This site looked mostly like a giant plateau covered in bright patches of color, and the careful movement of fish around the coral.  This dive was the shortest of the three, and before we knew it, it was time to leave.

The third dive was called Barracuda Bombie, and was by far the best of the three.  There were schools of barracudas swimming amung other large silver fish which we couldn't identify.  On all three dives, but especially this one, there were tons of giant clams hidden in the coral.  These look like normal, round clams, but with iridescent, blue dots that speckle the dog-sized animal!  They hide in the rock surrounded by coral, so we really needed to look carefully to spot them.  Again, this dive ended too soon, and we needed to start heading towards the mainland.  Tomorrow, we will snorkel again, and I may take an introductory SCUBA class.