Australasia Travel Diary - The Great Barrier Reef

Jul 30 2009 By Linda Kerfoot

No trip Down Under would be complete without a visit to The Great Barrier Reef and I can’t wait to get up close and personal with Nemo & Co and explore this underwater wonder! The only snag is that I can’t swim and I have an irrational fear of open water.

However, I refuse to travel halfway around the globe and miss out on one of the seven natural wonders of the world just because I am afraid. And since part of this trip is all about overcoming my fears and living life to the full, I simply snorkel and ‘swim’ while wearing a life jacket. Numerous boat crews take tourists out to different parts of the reef for the whole day and the fee includes snorkelling and equipment (although stinger suits are an additional charge), glass bottom boat and semi-submarine experiences and lunch.

You view the reef from a helicopter or scuba dive for an additional charge. The crew are experienced divers who also run snorkelling safaris for those who can’t swim or are uneasy in deep water, so regardless of whether you are akin to Ian Thorpe and Flipper, or simply a fish out of water like myself, everyone has the opportunity to explore the reef.

Fully kitted out in a stinger suit from head to toe, flippers, a snorkelling mask, a life jacket barely makes much difference as to how daft you look.

Yet despite knowing that I could not possibly drown and if I was in trouble a lifeguard would rescue me, I still couldn’t let go of my fear as I entered the water. It took me a few minutes to compose myself, and after a moment of sheer panic I finally let go of the boat rail and swam into the reef. Hooray!

The Great Barrier Reef is breathtakingly beautiful and photos cannot fully portray its beauty. I literally gasped in astonishment at the perfectly formed, living organism, home to thousands of species of fish, which spread out as far as I could see in different colours, shapes and sizes, amid an almost eerie silence.

Numerous schools of fish swam by, including Nemo and Dory and some delectable ‘chocolate dipped tail’ fish, but my favourite was a fish that encompassed all the colours of the rainbow.

Everything below the water is magnified 25% which makes for a more stunning sight and is handy if you forget your glasses.

The coral sits surprisingly high in the water and it’s very easy to catch an arm or leg on it while gazing at fish, yet this not only harms the reef, but also humans.

My fascinating fact of the day is that if your skin is cut, the cut can become infected and coral can start growing in your body. Luckily this is rare and as long as any scratches are cleaned by the crew, all is well.

The water was a stunning, clear azure blue, and the reef below looked incredibly inviting. Even the fish and other inhabitants of the sea, including interesting looking sea cucumbers, were very friendly and accommodating!

The semi-submersible boat and glass bottom boat tours were very informative and enjoyable, with marine biologists describing life in the region and homing in on particularly interesting life forms.

Although proud of myself for overcoming my fear, I wish I could swim properly so I’ve been inspired to learn to swim for when I return so I can swim and dive with confidence.

This natural wonder of the world really will widen your eyes and mouth in wonder.

Next stop: Whitsunday Islands