21 March : Port Douglas & The Reef

We are now close the the Great Barrier Reef which is made up of many, many reef systems all up and down the coast here. It goes right up to the edge of the continental shelf. The further north away from the population the clearer the conditions. Also being out further and next to the continental shelf helps bring in some fresher, cooler water currents.

We booked the Poseidon which carries up to 90+ people of mixed scuba and snorkeling although on our day it was 50-60. +Jill and I were picked up from our hotel along with others at other hotels on the way to the marina. It was raining which was softening the mood as people got on the bus.

We arrived on the boat and checked in which included a picture and removing shoes. We hung out as other people filled the boat and then received our safety briefing while leaving the harbour. Once that was over with, we went upstairs for our snorkeling instructions and equipment. By the time this was all done, we were more than halfway out to Agincourt Reef which is a huge 10km by 5km reef on the outer portion near the continental shelf.

The divers entered immediately upon mooring and we slipped in shortly thereafter. This was so cool and amazing to swim around in! We rented a nice underwater camera due to the fact that I've managed to drop the non-GoPro multiple times and lost at least one of the sealing doors. The downside to this company is that they BURN our photos onto a CD. Who carries around something to read those with?

Our boat took us to two other mooring sites on Agincourt because the weather out there was superb with little wind and much sun. I found our second site to be the best of the three. We took so many photos that the guy had to burn 2 CDs for us (which he deserves for forcing these things upon us). We had a blast on the boat and this was a day I've been waiting for since we set foot in Australia (and many years before)...