Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef

Cairns on first impressions doesnt seem to be much of a grand city, but I guess thats the feel they were going for! Or at least we would like to think so! There is not a single highrise corporate or residential building in sight which isnt a bad thing, but then there isnt anything else which stands out either! However, Cairns does have a great chilled out atmosphere if not for the rowdy locals in pubs and bars, where you are guaranteed a shout out of "Alright Darlin!" every time you pass by! Classy! We are staying in a very chilled out guesthouse which seems to have everything under one roof except for a grocery shop, and as its just on the on the outer city suburbs it is very quiet and relaxed. Its called Dreamtime Travellers Rest, and is very reminiscent of Melaka and Cameroon Highlands.

Anyway, we sorted out our reef tour with them and went on a boat that came highly recommeded by the guesthouse and other travellers, called Ocean Free. It rained all the way to the reef and the pinnacle that we were mooring up to ( very near Green Island - a resort island with tourist attractons and resort villas), but then it did clear for most of the afternoon which was nice! Tim did two dives and I also managed to do a medium difficulty dive even though I had not passed my certificate - basically I explained what I had done in Thailand and that I was confident at medium depths, but I just needed some confidence. So as it turned out, the crew and the main diving instructor guy were incredibly professional and friendly, and he took just me and Tim out first on a dive 12-14 meters depth for just over half an hour. He helped me so much and we got to see just some of the most incredibe waterlife there is that exists! Giant clams, twice the length of me, and coral of all colours and shapes and sizes, great big tuna fish, and plenty of nemos! Countless of other species of marine life and we even got to see some seahorses and pick up sea cumcumbers! Unforgettable! We were so happy with what we got and it was for such a good price. The crew were simply outstanding and paid attention to you, and even ensured that the non-swimmers amongst us had a great day out, and got to snorkel with aid for a bit! Tim had an individual guide on his second dive too, this time for 45 mins, so it was definately worth it. This has definately inspired me to get certified in the UK so that I can enjoy it even more in the future.

Next stop - flight back to Sydney!!!

written by

Priya&Tim on February 20, 2007 from Cairns, Australia

from the travel blog: Cheeky Round The World Trip

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i'm doing a report on the great barrier reef and i need info

can you please help, send messages to little_bratz123@hotmail.com

written by

tara on May 8, 2007

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