Reef Dreams

This past week we went on our last Aussie holiday during our time here. The serendipity of Andy's boatload of expiring vacation days and our assignment in this amazing country has made for a whirlwind ticking off of our bucket list, and I am constantly reminded of how blessed we are to have such opportunities.

As a preteen growing up outside of Chicago, every other month my family would head down to the Museum of Science and Industry to check out the latest IMAX show. The first one I ever remember seeing was a film about the Great Barrier Reef (or GBR as locals call it), and from that point on it became that one place that I always dreamed of going to but truly never thought I would. First of all, I imagined it as a place that only scientists visited. It was not until I got older that I learned a mere ordinary lass as myself could experience it. Still, however, it seemed completely unrealistic to believe I would ever travel halfway around the world, and so I accepted that I would enjoy the reef from afar through stunning documentaries.

Then I found myself on this continent on the opposite side of the globe, with the GBR on its eastern doorstep, and I realized that perhaps dreams can come true. It's the first time in my life that I felt a bit like a princess, pathetic as it may be that it came when I was squeezed in a wetsuit like pork in a sausage casing and bobbing up and down in 25+ knot winds. I am happy to say that the reef far exceeded my and Andy's expectations. We have snorkeled before in Hawaii and Zanzibar, but the GBR made that seem like paddling in a bathtub with some of Whit's toys (minus the time we got trapped in a bloom of jellyfish in Africa - that was more like paddling in the bathtub with barbed wire).

I do not own an underwater case for my camera, so I took the day off from being a photographer and let the marine biologist on board our trip do the dirty work. It was worth it, because he dove and got some great close-ups of what we saw. Here are just a few of the highlights.

One of our marine guides. This gives you some idea of how unbelievably close you are to coral upon coral upon coral.

Smaller version of the GIANT clams we saw. No joke, some were almost as big as a Smart Car. Their iridescent innards change from blue to green as you swim by.

Sea life surrounded us at every turn.

A sea cucumber that we were able to "pet."

Nemo! The movie is actually realistic in that these clown fish really do stay right by the anemone. They are not affected by its poison because of their mucus coating. The two sway like a dancing couple, always in sync. Since the popularity of the movie, many of these fish have been poached and they are no longer a regular sight in the GBR.

Grouper swimming with friends. If you stopped breathing for a second, you could hear the fish biting off the coral. Very cool.

Same dude smiling for the camera. This gives you a little better idea of his size, which let's just say is big enough to make you suck saltwater in your snorkel as you gasp in surprise. "Pretty in pink" certainly does not apply here.

More to come on the Daintree Rainforest and Sydney!