Clear skies. Mid 80’s. Smooth seas. The makings of a perfect day to sail and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. And what a day it was! The sea was a kaleidoscope of the most vibrant and beautiful blues I have ever seen. Donning wetsuits and flippers, we spent hours in utter amazement as we navigated our small slice of the incredible outer reef. I was a little surprised that the coral itself wasn’t as colorful as I imagined. Shades of yellow, brown and green were interspersed with only occasional smatterings of blue. The magnitude of various corals, sponges and rainbow of colorful fish, however, quickly dissolved any disappointment. I always dreamed of going to the Great Barrier Reef and here I was!

Did you know the GBR spans 1,250 miles and is the only living thing that can be seen from the moon? I knew it was big but wow! One of the best places from which to see it is Cairns because here, the outer reef is closest to the coast and the water isn’t too deep. After whittling down the large number of available boat tours, we decided to go with the Passions of Paradise catamaran. It held about 35-40 guests. The crew was friendly and fun. Although pictures can’t really do justice to what we saw, the pictures below can provide you with a little taste.