http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Oceania , Australia , Queensland , Great Barrier Reef en-us Wed, 25 Nov 09 09:20:49 +0000 Wed, 25 Nov 09 09:20:49 +0000 We have just returned from a two day dive cruise on the Great Barrier Reef. Neither words nor pictures can do it justice amazing wouldn't even begin to describe it. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest living organism is visible from space and is one of the Natural Wonders of the World. We were able to do six dives while on our cruise and we also enrolled in an Adventure Diver spec http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-442834.html On Monday we went out to the Great Barrier Reef on the 'Silversonic' a boat Tim chose because he liked the name. It took more than an hour to get to the outer reef and on the way we saw a humpback whale breaching on the horizon.We snorkelled three sites on Agincourt Reef. The weather was warm but a bit cloudy so the coral was not quite as brightly coloured as we had expected but we had great http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-431933.html You worry sometimes about how many times you can get excited about seeing another beach another mountain or even another town. Have we seen it all before but in a different shape The whole east coast of Australia is full of amazing beaches but there is only so many times you can think a beach is the nicest one you have ever seen. You just think silently well itrsquos the same as the one do http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-431797.html Man I really should write this more often. I mean to I write reminders everywhere and try to make mental notes that I immediately forget berating myself for writing a boring blog because I canrsquot remember what I did since I last wrote. Anyway I left you on Orpheus island the James Cook Uni research station on the Great Barrier Reef. Not a bad place to study. I think itrsquos a cunning http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-430322.html Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear.Not very many pictures today from the boat. I spent most of my time sat below deck studying the inside of several white bags.It seems that 28knot winds on the rough ocean sea and my belly don't like each other.It was an early start checking in at 730 this morning for my cruise and snorkel over three different parts of the Great Barrier Reef. The lady who checked me in http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-425830.html Drove to Port Douglas for the market on Sunday morning. I spotted Steve Jenni our friends from the Craft Markets. We had a chat then we left to go to Palm Cove to get a camp site. For tea we had a roast at the Life Saving Club. Mum was happy to have a roast for tea for a change. Went to Cairns in the morning to book our cruise to the Great Barrier Reef on Quicksilver. Came back to camp http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-423645.html On Tuesday we went on Quicksilver to the outer reef called Agincourt. On the boat it was hard to walk around because you went from side to side. I got a drink when I was walking with it I had to grab onto to everything so I did not spill it. When we got to the activity platform you could have lunch on the boat. After I finished my lunch I went and had a look at the underwater observatory. http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-423641.html We are well settled in and have met most of the locals people who come here from Vic Tas NSW every year and even one from Balnarring who recognised the car. It is their home away from home. After seeking help from the Ultimate website on where to find the parts needed to fix the camper we headed into Smithfield and found them fantastic. Continued on to Cairns to look around and booked a http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-423309.html Today starts early as we have to drive to Cairns to catch the boat to Green Island and the Great Barrier Reef well some of it anywayWe were well stocked with water crisps sun lotion and swimming kit. We boarded the catameran that was to take us out to Green Island about an hours journey. It was smooth sailing most of the way until we got clear of the headland and then it got a bit choppy bu http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-422969.html Day 92 Eddy Reef The Great Barrier ReefAnother nightrsquos broken sleep as a result of Dar waking up with the continuous door sliding from the Wicked camper behind us and me waking up in the middle of a lsquodreamrsquo about swimming with crocodiles Wersquove both got our fingers crossed for blue sky today as wersquore off to the Great Barrier Reef with the Calypso crew Itrsquos http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-422631.html The Great Barrier Reef...yes the worldrenowned Great Barrier Reef. Now this was going to surely be an experience of a lifetime I want to first note that although I am not a marine biologist or a scubasnorkel junky I have an impressive resume of snorkels. I have been out in the Caribbean several times as well as the Galapagos Islands. So on to the GBRMan was I excited...and later somewhat http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-406453.html So I'm kneeling down on the ocean bed 10 metres deep in the bathlike warm water of the northern outer Great Barrier Reef nervously breathing through a regulator and air tank as Scuba Steve points out a stingray that casually swims by and holds a board up to the group that reads 'welcome to the underwater world' This was the group's first dive and the previous two days had been spent in a Pro http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-402922.html Happy Easter As always we're a little behind on our blogging but better late than never...Since Easter is a 4 day weekend here in Australia we decided to take advantage of the free vacation time and head up to the Far North Queensland and finally see the tropics. We flew into Townsville on a Friday morning and over 4 days made our way up the coast stopping along the way at Magnetic Island http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-400992.html After Sydney I flew up the Northeast coast to Cairns. This is the main jump of spot for the diving on the Great Barrier Reef. I signed up for a 5 day dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef and some outer reefs. During this trip I saw all kinds of beautiful coral giant clams the size of a large barrel tons of fish eels turtles and sharks. Grouper between 300 and 400 lbs and the sharks ranged http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-400949.html As I wrote in the previous entry this is my trip to Heron Island the second half of my midsemester break. This island was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been toDay 1On the same evening in which I returned from Fraser Island I left for Heron Island that very night about 4 hours later. At about 1130pm on the night of April 13th we were scheduled to depart Brisbane. However d http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-394574.html G'day mate what can I do foy youI'd like to learn to dive please.No worries mate.And so that's how I obtained my SSI Open Water certificate. Well nearly.I walked into the CDC shop on Tuesday to see about learning to dive and getting to see the Great Barrier Reef before it all goes the way of Betamax. With the Oz experience buses only leaving Cairns at the start of the week and being full http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-391993.html This trip turned out to be the best and the worst most awesome and disappointing all at the same time.I qualified as a scuba diver in Koh Tao with the express purpose of diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Top three on my list to see at the reef were a turtle a shark preferably a reef shark not a great white and a little Nemo a cute little orange and white stripped clown fish made famous by http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-379585.html Well I am back home but have added some pictures. And I wanted to add some underwater pictures of the barrier reef. It was a two hour trip to the reef and we went to two spots and the wind was blowing and it was rough. We were snorkeling. Simone had rented an underwater camera and I don't know how she even held on to the camera but it had a wrist strap. They say the spot to see the pristine http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-371345.html Hi EveryoneI have always dreamed of visiting Australia especially the north east part which is mostly tropical as far as I know. I heard about an online contest in which you can get a 6 month villa on Hamilton Islands to explore the area relax and get paid a more then decent salary for that six month of hard work.The contest is open to everyone and you view my application page by the following http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-370706.html HeySo i did the great barrier reef today It was pouring down again when we boarded the boat but it didn't rain too much throughout the day and the water was really warm and not too choppy. I did loadsa snorkelling unfortunately didn't see any sharks or the turtle that is apparently always there But did see loadsa cool bright coloured fish just like you see in photos and finding nemo apparent http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/Great-Barrier-Reef/blog-369889.html