Another early start for our day out at the Barrier Reef and another cloudy day. The coach took us along the Captain Cook Highway to Port Douglas accompanied by some fantastic ocean views which were almost as spectacular as Cornwall.
We boarded the boat with a warning from the crew that we might like to take travel sickness tablets once on board as it was going to be a bumpy trip, Kim and Matt exchanged horrified looks and began to wonder what they’d let themselves in for.
Tablets and a cuppa later we were on our way on a very bouncy journey. John was smug, apparently it was no worse than riding a motorcross bike or driving an old British Sports Car, Kim and Matt concentrated on not embarrassing themselves!
An hour and a half later we arrived unscathed at our first of three dive sites on the Agincourt reef. Matt was off the boat snorkelling in a flash, Kim wasted time for half an hour before deciding to leave the boat, and where was John ?? Well, he needed to stay on the boat to make sure we were Ok and help us in and out!!
Luckily the next site was only 10 minutes on the boat and Matt was again off the boat in a flash, slightly cold but nothing was going to stop him getting the most from this experience (unlike his weedy parents)
A lovely lunch was provided. We couldn’t have done better in our kitchen, let alone in the narrow confines of a boat!
A short trip to the final site saw both John and Matt in the water despite the wind and cold. Matt was off like a fish, with his underwater camera, despite being blue with cold, following the tour guide around the reef. The views through the clear blue water looking at the coral, fish and other wildlife are indeed spectacular in an almost surreal way.
It was then time for another hour and a half of torture on the far bumpier return trip to Port Douglas and finally the comfort and stability of terra firma.
The reef is over 2000km in length and visible from space, but spectacular as it is, we are not in any great hurry to visit it again until they move it to dry land with a John Lewis and Pret a Manger, in fact Kim did say ‘no one told me it would be wet!!’
Back to the tree house for a much needed shower and glass of wine!!
braysabroad 