Time flies and before you realize it you have been married for 20 years. This was the case for us. We both discussed a long time ago that one day we would go to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). For this special occasion we both thought independently that the time was right to finally dive the Reef. Christy organized a memorable trip which saw us leave on Monday morning early from Melbourne to Cairns (2.5h flight). Tuesday morning, bright and early we would embark on a day cruise to the Great Barrier Reef. After about 2h on the choppy see we arrive and got our first 2 dives done. In the afternoon, the day cruise boat transferred us to another boat that stayed more permanently on the Reef. We spent the next 3 days on that boat diving every day several times. Christy also ended up doing a night dive.
(click on individual pictures to get a downloadable, large version of a picture)
So you may ask, what is the difference to Hawaii? I was mesmerized by the sheer number and variety of corals. the GBR offered so many different variations, varying structures, shapes and colors. Some of them are soft others are hard. Hawaii seems to have fewer types. Then we also saw a several type of fish and large clams. It was great. However, going to the Reef takes more time, it requires a lengthy boat ride (while in Hawaii I typically have a choice between boat and beach dives with dive spots being relatively close to the coast.) I also have to recognize the massive size of the GBR. it is so large that it can be seen from space! Hawaii is much smaller - not sure this makes a difference when diving as we can only look at very small areas at any time.
Sydney? Well Sydney stayed at home during the time we were away. She had her 2nd and last week of break and spent it with a friend who also stayed at our place. They seem to have had a good time.
And here the pictures as a short movie