It had been Mark's dream for a long time to go diving at the Great Barrier Reef...and he finally got to do it! I myself went snorkelling, which was equally amazing!
The Reef extends for several thousand miles along the Australian East Coast. To grasp its size, you need to see it from the air. On our flight out of Australia, we got lucky: it was a beautiful, clear day, we had a window seat, and there it was:
The colors of the water are amazing:
The Reef is located off the coast, so to go diving or snorkelling, you have to go out on a boat. We did a few day trips, and then booked a 2-day/1 night trip on a littile sailboat, the Vagabond. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip to the Reef: after a day of diving and snorkelling, we got to spend the night sleeping on the deck, under a clear sky, with a full view of the Southern Cross...when the sun came up around 5:30am, it was time to go for the first snorkel....
Please meet Wally: He is a beautiful Napolean Wrasse, the largetst, colorful fish I have ever seen in the wild...these amazing fish change sex from female to male when the need arises. Several females live with one male. When the male dies, one of the females of the harem spontaneously changes to male over just a few days...this one likes to hang out by the boat...
Here is our sailboat at sunset time...
Everything ok in the water...
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