A Rainforest, a Shark, and Nemo

After having checked out Cairns for a few days and gone chasing waterfalls we deckded to move on to the more relaxed town of Port Douglas just up the coast. Whilst looking around for ways to get up there we hit upon a the method of booking a Great Barrier reef tour which had a bus up to the town included. On the evening of the Tuesday we were all set to be whisked up Northern Queensland, to be taken out to sea, and then to dive in to the only living structure on Earth that can be seen from space.

Indeed, we woke up that Wednesday morning bright and early and then got on the Port Douglas bus with a lovely guide called Cory who managed to interest us with facts about Sugar Cane all the way up the coast. Once at the marina we hopped on the the boat AquaQuest and signed the myriad of safety documents. After we had done that and gone through a few talks and instructions the two of us were allocated into the final group to dive which meant we were able to get into the water and snorkle a bit first. We managed to get in to our full lycra stinger suits, to protect us against any jellyfish, and then we were in to the world of the Great barrier reef. The vast array of marine life was what wowed us first, there must have been millions of different fish alone not to mention the other sea creatures. It was simply another world, just unlike anything I had ever seen. The coral itself was slightly damaged from the cyclone that had come through the area a week before still but came in all shapes and sizes.

Once our 40mins snorkelling flew by we were called back to dive. The two of us were helped into our gear and told to faceplant of the boat into the sea. The 3 important tests we had to pass kncluded getting water in our goggles and losing our regulator’s but they flew by and before we knew it we were off under water. The reef looked even more magical from underneath, like a dream. However, my heavy breathing at first had cost me and as we got out I had used over double what Amy had.

After a lovely lunch we were taken to a second dive sight and once again opened up to the pure majesty of the reef with a much smoother second dive and a rather close sighting of a Black Tip Reef Shark. Im sure my love affair with diving will not have ended with this short trip as it was incredible.

The next few days in Port Douglas flew by relaxing on tropical beaches and the next time we went out was on one of Tony’s Tropical Tours into the Daintree rainfirest and to Cape Tribulation. The tour was fantastic with our German guide Jens being the most knowledgable man ever on the flora and fauna on display in the area. Fantastic rainforest walks, an awesome bbq lunch, and an interesting crocodile bkat tour made the day one to remember. The wildlife count at the end was one Cassowary, one Saltwater Crocodile, six Rainforest Huntsman Spiders, three Golden Orb Spiders, one Lace Monitor Lizard, three Swamp Wallabies, and countless others. Indeed, a time in Port Douglas well spent.