This morning we're off to visit the Great Barrier Reef (
http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/), which extends for some 1600 miles over an area of 133,000 square miles along the northeastern coast of Australia. It is so large that it can be seen from space. It is said to be the world's largest living thing, although there actually are more than 3000 individual reefs and 900 islands. Pollution, global warming, and lots of tourists may endanger the health of the reef since coral requires shallow, warm salty water for growth - if the water gets too warm or too cold, the coral dies; if the salinity changes, it dies.
We boarded the "Wavedancer," a large catamaran sailboat and headed out to the Low Isles, a couple of tiny islands about 9.5 miles out from Port Douglas. Both are coral cays, with lush vegetation surrounded by white sand and miles and miles of coral reefs. We moored just off the island and took a small shuttle boat back and forth from the boat.
Snorkeling was the first order of business, so we got outfitted to look as silly as possible - Lycra suits to protect against sun and jellyfish, mask, snorkel and flippers. The boat's marine biologist led a small group of us on a snorkeling tour.
The reef is full of life - the coral itself, lots of fish, giant clams, and green sea turtles. We saw all sorts of coral - staghorn, brain, mushroom, honeycomb, spaghetti, and boulder coral. The different types are all mixed up together on the ocean floor in weird and wonderful patterns. We saw a couple of giant clams, perhaps 3 feet across. We saw several green sea turtles - some just cruising around and some sitting quietly while the cleaner wrasse (fish) tidied up their shells. And of course, we saw fish: sergeant majors, parrotfish, clownfish (Nemo), yellow-tailed fusilier, and angelfish. Quite a show going on underwater.
After lunch onboard, we headed back to the island for a guided beach walk - this time the marine biologist walked us through the center of the island and then around it - pointing out bits of history, interesting plants, and birds.
The walk ended just in time for us to hop aboard a small glass-bottom boat for another look at the reef and its many residents. By the end of our boat ride, it was time to pack up and head back to shore - all in all, a very fine outing.
Back in Port Douglas, we decided to explore this little fishing village. We walked from the marina into town and picked up some stuff at the supermarket. Then we wandered around town before sitting down for some fish and chips featuring locally caught barramundi.
