My husband and I went to Australia for our honeymoon and spent a couple of days in Cairns to tour the Great Barrier Reef.
What a stunning and beautiful place it is, and so sad to see the Great Barrier Reef bleaching and disappearing due to global warming!
Prior to my arrival in Australia, I thought the Great Barrier Reef was just a short swim away from shore, but had no idea that it takes anywhere from 45 minutes up to 1.5+ Hour each way by boat to get out to the Reef! You will depart out of Cairns or Port Douglas.
We reserved 2 separate catamaran snorkel tours (Reef Magic and Poseidon) to visit both the inner Reef as well as the outer Agincourt Reef.
The inner Reef tour (Reef Magic) was only a 45 minute boat ride each way more for families with young children and family-friendly activities. The outer Agincourt Reef tour (Poseidon) was a more adult-oriented tour 1.5 Hour boat ride out each way on very rough waters.
I will never forget the deep hue blues and greens of the Great Barrier Reef, and the plethora of colorful fish and underwater life we saw.
The most memorable part was meeting our Aussie friend, a super friendly Maori Wrasse swim right up to us like a puppy!
If you are an outdoor adventurist and can visit the Great Barrier Reef before it disappears, go! It's so sad how global warming is depleting this natural beauty. I am so grateful my husband and I got to see and swim in the Great Barrier Reef in our lifetime.
Tip: the waters are very, very rough in the Great Barrier Reef. I along with many other tourists got seasick. Make sure you take your seasickness medication before the boat ride, and bring any meds needed to make the long boat ride a pleasant experience. read more