October 15,
2013: PORT DOUGLAS
This was the
big day for our Great Barrier Reef trip. We arrived at the port early and were
the first to board the jet propelled catamaran. We were told there were about
260 guests on board. It took about 90 minutes to arrive at the reef. Attached
to the reef's bottom was a huge pontoon structure with dining facilities, scuba
and snorkeling areas, two semisubmersibles and a place for two large boats to
dock. I signed up to be with a novice group under the tutelage of a biologist.
While the fish here were not so spectacular, the coral formations and varieties
of coral were . Our guide showed us a huge clam about four feet across and got
it to close its shell. We saw a clownfish like Nemo and many other varieties.
The colors were vibrant and less muddy than in the heavily trafficked Maui. And
we paddled in shallow as well as 30 feet of water.
After
snorkeling, I met Donna and we had lunch buffet and sat with a couple from
South Africa. Then we descended to a lower deck to ride a while on the
semisubmersible so Donna could see the coral. After about three hours we got
underway and sailed back to Port Douglas. On our way back we talked with the
South Africans and a family from the Gold Coast south of Port Douglas.
October
16-18, 2013: PORT DOUGLAS
During the
last three days in Port Douglas we spent time by the pool, read, played games
on our iPads, shopped, and prepared for our long trip home. We had the
opportunity to speak in the pool with a couple who lived in the Sydney suburbs.
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