Saturday, September 8, 2018

Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling Trip

There were many choices for snorkeling, but I chose Reef Daytripper because it was a smaller boat, with the maximum of 20 passengers.  I made a good choice and thoroughly enjoyed my day. 


I walked from my hotel to the marina and saw the sunrise.





The meeting time was 7:30 am and there were 20 passengers - Two families from England who were traveling together (three adults and five children), a retired couple from Australia, a young couple from the Netherlands, a couple from Spain, a man from France, a couple from Chicago USA, two young women from Australia, and me.






We had a rather long boat ride to the first of two locations.  There was coffee and tea available and the crew gave us a safety talk and an equipment talk as we traveled out.




At the first location, we had a guided snorkeling tour, with the crew member pointing out various underwater things.  It was very cool!  After that we had some time to look around on our own. We then moved to the second location and enjoyed a buffet lunch.  They had a veggie wrap for me, in place of the meat, and two people had gluten free meals prepared.  I could have eaten the salads and been happy, but I was pleased that they asked ahead and had special meals.








After lunch, we were free to snorkel or do whatever.  Some people slept on the boat after, but I was there to snorkel, so I did. The crew was very safety minded, with one person on the top of the boat keeping watch and two people in the water with safety rings in case someone needed help.  There was also a little motor boat ready in case someone couldn't get back to the boat.  It was a little windy with choppy waves at times.




I have snorkeled in Mexico, Puerto Rico, St. Barts, and Haiti, but I didn't see the color and amazing fish and creatures in any of those places, like I did here. The colors and sizes and number of fish were just incredible.  I saw a sting ray and a baracuda and many giant clams.  (One person saw a small shark, but I didn't see it.) I'm so happy that I could take this trip.  


As we headed back, we were served cheese, crackers, fruit, and a glass of wine.






What a fabulous day!








10 comments:

Queeniepatch said...

Yes, what a fabulous day. The intensity of the blue of the water and the sky is amazing.

Jeanie said...

Wonderful photos! All that magnificent blue. It sounds like a fabulous time!

Lisa J. said...

I sounds like a wonderful day Pamela!

rosey175 said...

What a fantastic day! The water is so blue there. A smaller tour group is always nice and this one sounds like the guides actually cared about safety. I'm glad there are still parts of the reef that are beautiful.

Vireya said...

Glad you got to see some good stuff on the reef. As a non-swimmer I haven't been snorkelling. I had to do the "glass-bottomed boat" reef sight-seeing. But even that was an amazing experience.

kiwikid said...

So good to see you had a great day out on the reef, the water is such a beautiful blue. We were up there years ago and we saw so many different fish, it was amazing. Good to hear you were well looked after.

Anonymous said...

Hi Pamela wow what an experience and fantastic pics my friend,thankyou for sharing xx

Brigitte said...

Oh my, what an adventure for you.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

I am in awe of the many things you are able to do and the amazing places you have visited. You're a pretty adventurous person!!
xx, Carol

Leonore Winterer said...

I've never been snorkeling, but I bet the Great Barrier Reef is a sight to behold! I wish I could have gone, but sadly, I was on the wrong side of the country.