My Great Barrier Reef Experience
When people think of going to Australia, not enough of them think of making the trip up to Cairns to go to the Great Barrier Reef…
… but they really should.
There are so many people that I know that have gone all the way down under, but haven’t had this irreplaceable, once in a lifetime experience.
I remember being in Sorrento, stuck on one of their sweaty and sticky buses when I ran into a couple who met in Australia.
He was English, she was American. They had been traveling the world together for three months, slowly making their way back to the U.K. and the States.
Couple goals, am I right?
Anyways, the girl was telling me that she fled to Australia just because she needed a change. I loved both of them immediately, and we talked all the way till we hit the seaport for Capri.
I asked them what the two of them did and how they met, and this was their simultaneously answer,
“Oh, we’re scuba diver instructors!”
“You mean… like, for the Great Barrier Reef?”
“Yep, that’s exactly how we met!”
“I’m going in January! Who knows, maybe I’ll be on your boat!”
It’s here where they told me that while they had left Australia for the time being, that they were still happy to recommend to me the best diving companies to pick when booking a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef.
Here are the top picks by two real scuba diver instructors who worked in Australia:
1. Down Under Dive
2. Silver Swift
3. Passions of Paradise
4. Ocean Freedom
I kept that list in my phone for sixth months.
Flash forward to those sixth months later…
My dad and I arrived to Cairns midday; with the intent of doing the Great Barrier Reef the following day.
If I could go back in time…
… I would’ve booked our tickets back the in states as soon as I came back from Italy.
Listen closely when I say that we got lucky when we scored the two last open seats on an Ocean Freedom tour. At first the receptionist told us that there were five seats left on Silver Swift and that she could book us no problem.
She went on hold for a minute to call another company to see what their arability was like, but by the time she redialed Silver Swift…
… the seats were gone.
Thus, if you’re able to get your snorkeling experience squared away before arrival – I recommend that you do so.
My dad & I ended up snorkeling on Ocean Freedom.
The actual day trip is great. The ports are within walking distance of most hotels. Most of the trips are 8 hour excursions; with included snacks and lunch on board.
There are dozens of companies that d today trips to the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia.
The experience as a whole was fantastic… but I ran into a few technicalities, on the way.
While the receptionist was booking our seats, she recognized that my dad was wearing glasses and asked if he wanted prescription goggles.
Yes… they do that.
Pretty cool, right?
I asked if I needed the same; wondering if it was safe for me to wear contact lenses in the ocean. She assured me it was fine, and to come wearing contact lenses.
Well, hah… that… was a mistake.
The following morning as my dad and I were headed to the outback, I went to put on my contact lenses only to be followed by a searing sensation from the residue of the salty water.
Yes, I’m dramatic – you don’t need to tell me twice.
Long story short – when we arrived in Alice Springs and I tried to put them on a second time, thinking that they just needed to soak in some solution – but the burn was so bad that it flung somewhere in our bathroom, out of sight to the naked eye, and never to be seen again.
If you wear contact lenses, always pack an extra pair with you, when you travel.
And DO NOT wear them in the reef; no matter what the receptionist or the divers tell you.
Onto to problem number two…
Because I’m such a small person all around; the sizes of the masks weren’t fitting my face well.
I didn’t see anything at the first reef we stopped at. The good news is, they take you to two reefs – in the event that you’re like me and things don’t go so well for you the first round.
The view of the mountains that surround the Great Barrier Reef as the boat is en route to snorkeling destination number two; January 2019
The second time around, someonehelped me. Since, I was having trouble getting my mask to stay on firmly due to my smaller-than-average-sized-head – one of the crew members ended up taking me out to the reef personally to ensure that I saw all that the experience had to offer.
I saw dozens of Nemo’s (clown fish, if you’ve never heard of Finding Nemo), Dory’s, a sting ray hiding in the sand, and a barracuda fish with an eye bigger than my hand.
With the bushy green mountains surrounding us, the pockets of the turquoise, sapphire, and Olympic colors of water in the midst of the electric blue coral sea, and the Australian summer sun beating down so hard on us… I had my pinch me moment.
Great Barrier Reef; January 2019
Here I am. At the Great Barrier Reef… in Australia.
Never, anywhere, have I seen a body of water so electric with pockets of contrasting blues like I have at the Great Barrier Reef.
With our long-to-prevent-us-from-getting-stung-wet-suits on and the orange floaty in between us, I told her while squinting from the strong sun,
“You know, thank you so much for taking me out personally to show me all of this stuff.”
She had strawberry blond hair, freckles, and green eyes. As she responded, shaking the salty ocean water out of her hair, her simple Aussie words rang in my head,
“Ah, that’s alright… that’s alright…”
Dreams do come true.
Alongside running on a rooftop in Barcelona, floating in the Dead Sea for the first time, standing on the T.V. tower in Berlin, and seeing the Swiss flag at the top of Jungfrau…
… the Great Barrier Reef remains one of my favorite video tapes to replay in my mind on a loop.
If you’re looking for other things to do in Australia, click here.