Day 137 March 26th 2007, Here Fishy Fishy - Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted a Marine Aquarium, about 2 years ago I finally brought one and spent many weeks setting up my own little reef. Pretty pleased with this little world I had created (now in the safe hands of my parents) I could only have imagined the overwhelming sights I would see today.

Before we went anywhere a quick Star Trek audition was in order

Our first stop of the day was at a sandy cay (below). From here we saw our first turtle swimming just off the shore. Above is a photo of our boat. As soon as we dived into the water with our snorkeling gear we were instantly surrounded by fish, a short swim and we were above the reef, equipped with a waterproof camera I tried to get a shot of one of the giant clams (photos to follow) I was soon reprimanded by Shelley who thought I had used up the whole film already (did this in the Galapagos) The conditions weren't perfect but with so many fish and coral to see I was the last out of the water.

After a short break it was time for our dive, there were 2 of us to each instructor so we couldn't get into any trouble. I wanted to go off an explore but apparently this is a very dangerous thing to do when diving you always need to stay near your buddy. Shelley has already refused to be my buddy when we do our PADI here in a few weeks due to my adventurous nature. We only dived for half an hour, I could have stayed down for hours it was sensory overload with so much to see.

Hey wait for me

I don't know why I didn't take up diving before, the sudden realisation that I could breathe underwater must be like suddenly realising you can fly, a whole new world beneath the waves suddenly existed. After finishing the dive I quickly got my snorkeling gear on and headed back to the reef. What an amazing day!!

Here are some facts about what lives at the Great Barrier Reef

30 Species of Whale are know to visit the reef
6 Species of Sea Turtle visit the reef to breed
200 Species of bird
5000 Species of Mollusc including the Giant Clam
1500 Species of Fish
400 Species of Coral
17 Species of Sea Snake
500 Species of Algae and Seaweed

Highlights: Do I have to say?