ROAD TRIP DIARIES 27
It was our last day in Cairns and my excitement started to build the moment we checked-out from the caravan park on our way to Cairns Marlin Wharf. I was about to tick off from my bucket list the longtime dream of getting up close and personal with one of the seven wonders of the natural world.
Growing up, I have always been fascinated with the breathtaking beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. Watching videos and documentaries before made me curious about the richness and diversity of its marine life.
Although I had my own share of dalliances with the teeming underwater life in some parts of the Philippines, snorkeling in the largest coral system on earth was like fulfilling a dream of coming face to face with a celebrity that I always wanted to meet.
Our Ride – The Silverswift
Choosing the tour operator to take us to the reef was as overwhelming as finding a great spot to snorkel in an area as big as the state of Texas. There are roughly 820 operators and over 1500 vessels and aircraft permitted to operate in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Some of these offer additional attractions beyond simply snorkelling, such as visits to some spectacular islands and cays (small, low-elevation, sandy islands formed on the surface of coral reefs). In the end, we booked a day trip tour with Silverswift, a 29 meter wave-piercing catamaran that goes to three Outer Great Barrier Reef Sites. It’s small and fast which also means a smaller group and more snorkelling time for us.
Silverswift Sun deck
After paying the balance of our ticket in what looked like the Disneyland of all wharfs, we weaved our way past hundreds of tourists and some of the world’s most advanced super yachts. Now I could understand why Cairns is home to Australia’s largest tourism and game fishing fleets.
Briefing for the snorkelers
Before long, we were cruising swiftly on board an air-conditioned luxury vessel at 32 knots. Introductory and detailed dive briefings were given on the way to our first destination while snorkelers were briefed on the sun deck upon arrival at the reef site. A few passengers got seasick and it wasn’t long before I joined the rest of the group who were sucking on ice (it apparently cures seasickness). At first, I thought the culprit was too many muffins and pastries consumed during morning tea but a breath of fresh sea air was all I needed to sort me out.
Ready to Plunge
After about an hour, the boat came to a complete stop and moored on the first reef site. We were all geared up and ready to take the plunge. The divers were the first to go while the snorkelers were being briefed on the sun deck. Although excited, I was somewhat hesitant to dive straight into the water thinking it would be as cold as the water in the Whitsundays despite wearing a wetsuit. (yes, I’m such a wuss for cold).
But after testing the water from the submerged platform, I was raring to go like a child waiting outside a chocolate factory to open. It was warm and reminded me of the tropical beaches back home. Some young British backpacker couples dived straight into the water confidently clad only in board shorts and two-piece bikinis, only to swim back as fast as they could when the blond girl in a red bikini was stung by a jellyfish.
Her body was all covered with red patches and frantically quivering in the arms of her boyfriend. All the snorkelers donned a jellyfish suit after that and went back to the water like nothing had happened.
Images from our $25 disposable underwater camera
Under the Sea
Aside from a school of fish swarming near the diving platform, my first sighting was a pair of disgruntled-looking Whitetip Reef Sharks lazily hanging out at the bottom of the ocean floor. Although our guide assured us we weren’t part of its diet, we steered clear of it and went in search of friendlier-looking creatures.
The underwater photographer seemed to be the best bet to see the brightly colored Maori Wrasse. This beautiful reef creature seemed not to mind posing for pictures in exchange for some nibbles. A ginormous Moray Eel that looked like a baby anaconda popped out from the vibrant and dazzling coral and brought out the Michael Phelps in me, which I never thought existed.
After lunch, we moved on to our next reef site and were overwhelmed by swirling schools of black and brown parrotfish. We were looking for turtles but found a bunch of red and yellow clown fish instead hovering above the equally colorful sea anemone. It was a truly wonderful underwater spectacle.
With my limited swimming skills, I was surprisingly thriving in the water and was looking forward to more. This was mainly due to the “noodle” (a long, cylindrical floatation device that looks kind of like a noodle), which made snorkeling easier for me and was much better than wearing a life vest. The current was a bit strong and the water got colder when we reached the third reef site but Charles and I spent every minute in the water making the most of our time.
Me and the Noodle
The kaleidoscope of colors and the astounding vastness of the reef were breathtaking. It was like a glimpse of a whole different world that indulged all your senses. Just standing on top of boat and gazing far beyond the horizon revealed different shades and shapes of corals. It was really a feast for the eyes. We cruised back to Cairns quite pleased and satisfied with how the day turned out. It was worth every cent and we’d definitely do it again – after all, there is no way we could ever fully explore the only living creature visible from outer space in only one trip.
(This is part of our 6-week North Queensland Road Trip Series, which took place July- August 2010)
Australian Road Trip 101: A Vantastic Beginning
Road Trip Diaries # 1 – An Encounter with the Strangest Animal in the World
Road Trip Diaries # 2 – Of Strangler Figs, Leeches and Long Holidays
Road Trip Diaries # 3 - Exploring Finch Hatton Gorge
Road Trip Diaries # 4 – Cape Hillsborough: On Bush Walks Beach Strolls and Star Gazing
Road Trip Diaries # 5 – Cape Hillsborough: Sunrise and Wild Kangaroos
Road Trip Diaries # 6 – Airlie Beach: Beaches Babes and Backpackers
Road Trip Diaries # 7 – Ocean Rafting to the Whitsundays
Road Trip Diaries # 8 – Unexpected Encounters
Road Trip Diaries # 9 – Exploring Bowenwood
Road Trip Diaries # 10 – Townsville: Finding Nemo and the Sunken Pandora
Road Trip Diaries # 11 – A Visit at the Billabong Sanctuary and Castle Hill
Road Trip Diaries # 12 – Magnetic Island: What Captain Cook Missed
Road Trip Diaries # 13 – Paluma Range National Park: A Walk in the Clouds
Road Trip Diaries # 14 – Of Didgeridoo, Exotic Fruits and Why I love Camping in the Bush
Road Trip Diaries # 15 – Jourama Falls: A Gray Nomad Affair
Road Trip Diarues # 16 – The Bird Man of Tyto Wetlands
Road Trip Diaries # 17 – The Quest for Wallaman Falls
Road Trip Diaries # 18 – Hinchinbrook Island: Experiencing the Wilderness
Road Trip Diaires # 19 – The Tully Show: My First Aussie Fair
Road Trip Diaries # 20 - Mission Beach: Where Have All the Cassowaries Gone?
Road Trip Diaries # 21 – White Water Rafting at Tully River
Road Trip Diaries # 22 – Finding Our Way to the Enchanted Ruins
Road Trip Diaries # 23 – Paronella Park: The Dream Continues
Road Trip Diaries # 24 – Exploring Wooroonooran National Park
Road Trip Diaries # 25 – Cairns: Exploring the Urban Jungle
Road TRip Diaries # 26 – Kuranda Village: A Journey Through An Ancient Rainforest
hang cute. Pangarap ko din ito. Makakapunta din ako dito one of these days. hihi
Daan ka muna dito para may PTB meet-up tayo
I don’t know why but this post reminds me of the time I went to Apo Island for snorkeling and got all excited that I dove into the water and scratch myself all over from all the corals around.
You’re so lucky you get to see all these wonders, Claire. And the Great Barrier Reef of all places! I always love reading your travel stories. Now my travel list is getting longer. Thanks to you.
Apo Island is a world-class diving destination as well, we also have very rich and diverse marine life (at least the remaining ones) so I think we’re not missing much in terms of underwater species. It’s just the vastness of the Great Barrier Reef that had impressed me the most.
What a wonderful incursion into one of the world’s marine paradise. Its worth the jelly fish sting risk and all. From your photo I could see the vastness of the coral reefs, yeah you can see it fully even with snorkeling. Nice “back” photo.
Actually they also offer helicopter tour and from videos that I’ve seen, the view was astounding.
kagayon! you’re so blessed dear to have finally seen it! sarap cguro mag snorkeling jan. bute my nabili kaung disposable camera. frustration ko yang underwater cam. ang mahal kase eh.
i love the sexyback by the way! 
Sobrang gayon talaga lalo na sa irarum kan dagat, pero igwa man kita kadaklan kan underwater species ninda, napabayaan at naabuso lang talaga (Mas mura pa rin sya sa DSLR pero for the meantime ok din naman yung disposable underwater cam, wala nga lang viewfinder)
Wow dream ko din ito! And I always have the Michael Phelps in me ready to unleash itself anytime for The Great Barrier Reef!
I think it’s the adrenaline rush that triggers the fight or flight instinct and a sight of anything that resembles a snake (especially that ginormous eel) will unleash all kinds of super strength in me
wowwww, snorkeling lang talaga yan!!! looks like super fun scuba diving for me in Great Barrier Reef!! glad to know you are able to check off another bucket list and great way to describe it!!nice post
Yeah, we’re wearing a wet suit and jelly fish suit, so it looks a bit like we’re geared up for scuba diving. (Thanks, Atty. I’m also very grateful for this experience
)
ikaw na! ikaw na ang nkapag-Great Barrier Reef! waaah! inggit ako!
so claire, are you bringing sexy back (thanks sa pics mo)? hehehe
hahaha, maybe i’ll bring back sexy front toes
I got limited swimming skills too! I’d love to try that noodle.
I think it’s a clever idea for snorkelling coz it allows you to swim deeper with ease whenever you feel like it unlike when you’re wearing a life vest.
ansexy! i love the noodle…buti nalang may disposable na underwater cam
We suspected the underwater pics from the hired photographer would be a rip-off so we bought our own as a back-up
a snorkel/dive post is always irresistable to me. i love it! one day maeexperience ko din underwater world outside pinas. =)
I could feel it won’t be long now especially that you had your intro dive already.
the $25 underwater cam wasn’t bad!!!
you should have peed all over that girl stung by jellyfish! LOL!
I heard it’s an effective remedy, but yeah she has her boyfie to attend to her needs including the peeing part I guess
gustong gusto ko yung pagkakarelate mo sa Barrier Reef experience sa uang kita sa isang celebrity.hahaha. Uo nga. sinu ba naman ayaw ma-experience ang GREAT BARRIER REEF. jaw drop kung jaw drop ako siguro. I have come to admire that place kahit hanggang online pics lang ako.:D
Yeah I was quite excited that day, for me it’s akin to setting foot in the Amazon or trekking to Machu Picchu. Starstruck lang
Oh! How I would love this trip!!! Your post and photos have me so excited. I’ve never snorkeled but would sure learn real fast if I was in this location.
Thank you for sharing this. Love your photos!
It’s easy even if you can’t swim, the good thing about snorkelling is that you could opt to use a life vest or in my case a noodle and still see as much underwater species. Corals thrive well in relatively shallow waters.
wow naman! the great barrier reef!!!! :O
Ikaw kaya European invasion na, hindi lang level-up, turbo-charged na
oh so cool. now i miss snorkeling.
There’s always El Nido or Puerto Galera Dom, not as big but just as spectacular
ikaw na talaga. Ikaw na ang primera lakwatsera.
Speechless!
This is everyone’s dream. The Great Barrier Reef!
Thanks Ed, the quest for Nemo’s home has finally ended
Reminds me of my first time on The GBR. A group of us jumped in , spotted some sharks and jumped straight out , to be greeted by the deckie laughing his head off…” You guys must be from WA or Sa ” laugh laugh, he was greeted by a chorus of WA , South Australia! in those states if its a shrk then its a white pointer/ great white and you get out of the water ASAP or become lunch! After being reassured we weren’t part of the menu here we were straight back in. Great post Claire!
Oh at least they’re not playing down the danger of sharks, I’ve read somewhere that the number one victims of crocs in Oz aren’t tourists/visitors. They’re too scared to jump into a creek with croc warning unlike the locals who often ignore it with matching ” We’ll be alright mate!”
wow wow, great barrier reef. wala akong masabi claire
Yan din lang nasabi ko noong una kong syang nakita, Wow!
I think is one if not the highlight of your North Queensland roadtrip series along with your post about Whitsunday Islands. The Great Barrier Reef is a dream for every snorklers and divers to see. One of the riches marine biodiversity in the world and one of the best natural site Australia. This is a nice travel story you shared. I enjoyed reading it =)
Yeah anything that involves wildlife is definitely a highlight for me but meeting interesting people during our journey was just as memorable.
I hate you , Claire.
I used to just be seething and dripping with pure unadulterated envy but now, I just plainly hate you. LOL
BTW, I love the pic of the noodle!
I can’t believe this is coming from someone who had been to 4 continents (both for vacation and as perks of her job). I wouldn’t mind trading places with you
sexy back nga!
galing claire, great barrier reef pa. pero natawa talaga ako sa 2 backpackers na excited na patalon-talon. bwhahahaha. feeling ko kasi, isa ako sa mga ganun. hahaha. jellyfish!
Masyadong excited yata at sanay sa lamig kaya walang wet suit, dive kaagad
i could only imagine how many boats there are in that wharf.
whitetip reef sharks! eek!
we have a double barrier reef off bien unido, bohol as well. i haven’t explored the entire area but some of the parts looked promising.
Yep, our marine life is very promising , we used to have more diverse underwater species even compared with the Great Barrier Reef, but it’s not too late yet
“THE” dream dive. I still need to cross out tubattaha first before going here. haha
Same here, Tubattaha is a dream dive for me, maybe, i’ll try it after I get my diving license.
Uy wow, sexyyyy!!! Hahaha. Waaaa nung nag-aaral pa ako ng Bio, pangarap ko na talagang mag snorkel sa great barrier reef! Shet. Kakainggit!
Makakapunta ka din dito for sure, walang impossible kapag may determinasyon
for the mean time maganda din mag-snorkel around Samal.
ikaw na talaga ang primera.. great barrier reef, check.. sobrang ganda naman talaga at pangarap ko rin.. sana sa susunod isama mo na rin ako sa mga pangarap mo.. hehehe
Oo ba, ipapasyal kita kapag napadaan ka dito