The Great Barrier, a Five Star "Reef-view"

All of our flights within Australia were with Jetstar, which had fairly strict luggage weight requirements. At the Sydney airport, we checked the weight of our bags using a scale by the check-in area, and moved items between them. The goal was to get the larger ones below 20kg and the carry-ons below 7kg. Between the four of us, there were 3 checked bags and 8 carryon bags. We successfully got everything close enough to the limits.

One of perks of traveling with other seasoned travelers was going into an airport lounge together. The others all had access, and brought me as a guest. I enjoyed a few snacks including a sandwich and a pre-packaged lamington. The flight from Sydney to Cairns was about 3 hours, and there were some good views of Botany Bay during the takeoff. ​As we descended into Cairns, the tropical mountains and snaking rivers of the Atherton Tablelands appeared through the clouds.

We took an Uber to our AirBNB, an upstairs unit in a humble set of vacation rentals, about 20 minutes walking distance from the center of town. A small office on the ground floor served as the reception, and we rang the bell to summon the host couple from the back. The husband, a balding gentleman with a soft voice and a European-Australian accent, took us up to the room and used a map to explain the local geography. The apartment was large but dingy. The host pointed out a crack in the wall above the kitchen sink that had leaked during the recent Cyclone Jasper, and complained that it would be months until he could get a plumber to properly fix the roof drainage, due to the high demand.

Cairns was hot and tropical, and I was already feeling overheated from the morning sun in Bondi. We turned the two AC units to full blast, but the room still felt warm several hours later. While I sweltered and rehydrated, Val and Rachel headed into town, exploring the coastal walkway and picking up groceries.  Dinner was a tasty salad that included edamame, mango, cucumber, and sriracha. Val was already accustomed to a tropical climate, and let the rest of us have the cooler main bedroom while she stayed in the warmer living room bed. I got a surprisingly good night’s sleep.

​The next day was our big day on the Great Barrier Reef. We were up and out the door before 7:00am, and walked to the Reef Fleet Terminal to find the boat. The morning skies along the coastal walk were gorgeous, especially with the green mountains in the background. Our tour company was called Passions of Paradise, and they directed us to their catamaran amidst the flurry of morning cruises.

Before each departure, the crew took a detailed headcount to make sure no one was left behind. My understanding is there was a past incident where some tourists had died after being left behind in the reef. A newer crew member struggled to get a count that matched their more experienced colleague and had to repeat the exercise several times, to the skipper’s chagrin.
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We took a spot on the second story sun deck, which had a nice breeze as the boat picked up speed. The company offered snacks and coffee during the 2 hour journey to the reef. One of the friendly crew members, a Canadian named Kennedy who was on a working holiday, came over and answered our questions about the jellyfish in a way that was detailed and reassuring. Thankfully, the most dangerous jellies were not in the area we were visiting.

We reached the first snorkeling stop of the day. The scuba divers on board entered the water while we prepared our snorkeling gear. The tour provided stinger suits, to protect from the floating jellyfish. We were extremely pleased that the suits covered our necks, heads, and hands. The masks and fins were also good quality, and anti-fog solution was provided near the launch ramp. They even had waist buoys to make the swimming part easier for anyone who wanted one.

​I hadn’t been snorkeling in at least 10 years, and I was definitely nervous. But once I was in the water and could see the ocean below, it wasn’t too scary. It really helped to have fins, and a snorkel that worked well. A spotter on the back of the boat provided some additional comfort, as they were keeping an eye on the ocean conditions and anyone in distress. There were some guides in the water too, but we mostly explored as a group of four.

​The reef was astounding! There were so many tropical fish, including large schools of black and white striped fish just an arm’s reach away. The water visibility was excellent, and the variety of coral was difficult to process. We saw spiky coral, fan-shaped coral, brain coral, wavy coral, cauliflower coral, boulder coral, and so many other shapes. Many were close enough that we had to be careful not to bump them with our fins. In some of the deeper areas, Val dove below the surface to get a closer look.

(the underwater photos below are screenshots from my GoPro videos)

​As we circled the reef, we spotted more and more fish. The turquoise parrotfish nibbled at the edges of the coral, the elaborate-patterned triggerfish skirted the lower depths. We saw a sea turtle briefly, but it was moving away. Many of the fish, like the butterfly, racoon, and angel fish, were familiar from Hawaii. A huge Maori wrasse was a highlight.

Unfortunately, the water was also filled with jellyfish. We encountered dozens of these transparent floaters at eye-level, trying to dodge them to the best of our ability. The stinger suits were a godsend.

​After the first session, we got back on board, shed the stinger suits, and had a buffet lunch. The food was surprisingly good, and included a few cold salads and warm curries and pasta. They even had a secret vegan option that was brought out specially for Rachel and Val.

​The second snorkeling stop, called the Three Sisters, was even more dazzling than the first. The coral was off-the charts beautiful. We saw clownfish hiding in an anemone, a grumpy looking pufferfish, a light-colored ray commuting along the sea floor, and another sea turtle. There were large schools of blue and silver striped fish and a cluster of yellow striped sweetlips.

​Done with snorkeling for the day, we kicked back on the sun deck with a refreshing beer in hand. It was the perfect temperature, and a great combination of the post-reef high and summer vacation.

On the return journey, one of the marine biologist guides gave a scientific presentation on the reef. He explained the coral lifecycle, what coral bleaching actually means (it’s the release of symbiotic algae, and doesn’t equate to coral death), and some of the ongoing efforts to replenish the reef using coral grafts. It was very informative and balanced, and also highlighted the company’s investment in other environmental programs like turtle rescue and rainforest conservation.
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The Great Barrier Reef totally lived up the hype. It was a feast for the eyes, to the point of being difficult to fully absorb its complex beauty. The quantity and variety of fish far exceeded what I remember in Hawaii many years before. And to think we only saw 2 of the ~30 different snorkeling spots that are accessible from Cairns, let alone the hundreds off the entire East Coast. The existential threat of the jellyfish didn’t stop us from enjoying the day, but I can see why people recommend visiting outside of stinger season. Having good weather and a fantastic tour company were the icing on the cake.

After the big day, we walked back to the AirBNB and had poke bowls for dinner, including some delicious mango and a special sauce that Val whipped up. Having a creative vegan chef in the group inject some new flavors into our diet was a morale boost to everyone!

The next day ended up being a rest day. Our original plan was a day trip to Daintree, an ancient rainforest and the other main draw near Cairns. Unfortunately, the key parts of Daintree were still closed due to cyclone damage, and we had to cancel. But it was nice to have a chance to recover. We had pancakes for breakfast, took care of some travel planning, and reviewed GoPro footage from the reef. A few tropical rainstorms hit, loud enough that we stuck our heads outside to convince ourselves it was actually rain making all the noise. The AC had been running non-stop since we arrived, and had finally reached a cold equilibrium.
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In the evening, I went on a short walk with Vince. Lots of critters were active at dusk, including the local fruit bats, referred to as “flying foxes.” We could see them flying around the town, and clambering through the treetops. There was also a loud frog, its throat puffing up comically with each croak.

On our third day in Cairns, we divided and conquered. Val and Rachel opted for another day on the reef, while Vince and I stayed in town and went to the aquarium and fruit market.

The Cairns Aquarium impressed the two of us, as it included a lot more than just the Barrier Reef. Our visit was timed perfectly, as we caught a series of four back-to-back guided talks.

The first was at the freshwater exhibit, showcasing the marine life in the river ecosystems of Daintree. The energetic presentation explained the animals’ amazing adaptations to river and ocean life. The mangrove jacks could regulate their bodies and survive in both freshwater and saltwater. The barramundi were born as males, and changed to females later in their lifecycle after reaching the ocean. The enormous stingrays kept their young in a pouch, only separating when the young ray was 60% of the adult’s body size. The fat-bellied catfish stayed upstream during the dry season, surviving the lower water levels and higher temperatures by breathing air through a lung.
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The second talk was about the Great Barrier Reef at a two-story tank. The guide pointed out some of the unique species like the bump-headed Maori wrasse, the large fish that we saw during our snorkel outing. The talk coincided with feeding time, including a special placemat for the stingrays, which can’t eat and swim at the same time.

​The third talk was about sharks and rays, at the largest exhibit. There were some familiar animals like reef sharks and cow-nosed rays, but there were also some really dazzling species. The enormous shovel-nosed rays had three shark-like fins. The even-larger honeycomb rays and leopard sharks had beautiful patterns. The presenter did an excellent job of explaining the sharks’ unique role as the “doctors” of the ecosystem – removing diseased and injured animals from the population. She described in detail the shark’s senses, like smelling copper from fish blood and electrical pulses from muscles, and how a surfer might be perceived as behaving like a distressed fish. Statistics about shark attacks were put into context with other freak incidents, like dying from a falling coconut, to help dispel the sharks’ deadly reputation. Feeding time including watching the sharks pull their food off a pike, like a giant kebab.

​A glass tunnel brought us to the fourth presentation, this one more general. The guide showed us how to spot a sleeping stingray – they take micronaps, going into cruise control for a few seconds. She also talked about the effects of plastic pollution and some of the aquarium’s wildlife rescue efforts.

​We backtracked to see a few of the exhibits that we breezed by in the morning. A section on the dangers of the reef included lionfish, moray eels, and to our surprise, an actual stonefish – the most deadly fish in the world, with venom that can kill a person in 3 minutes.

​There were also some amazing reptiles, including a juvenile croc, monitor lizards jumping between branches, agile snakes swimming through pools of water, long-necked turtles, and some enormous crabs and crayfish.

​From the aquarium, we walked to the Rusty’s Market for lunch. We snacked our way through, starting with some idly and curry from a Keralan food truck. The owner was teaching his son how to take orders, which was really cute, but the food was a little overpriced. We also had some red bean bao and an acaí bowl. 

The highlight of the market was the abundance of fresh, tropical fruit. It was amazing to see fruit that I had only encountered in Asian or Latin America all under one roof. They had dragonfruit, jackfruit, passionfruit, soursop (guanábana), lychee, pineapple, mango, papaya, and more.

I continued browsing through the shops of downtown Cairns on my own, while Vince headed back to the apartment. My GoPro SD card was out of memory, bursting at the seams with New Zealand and Australia footage. I stopped by a diving camera store, enjoying the unique aquatic camera equipment like snorkel masks with GoPro attachments and special underwater lens filters. I asked the owner how business was going after the cyclone, and he laughed it off saying the real measure of a severe storm was whether the leaves were blown off the trees. Apparently the leaves were still attached, and sales of GoPros were still going strong. I wasn’t sure if that meant Cairns was less impacted than other parts of Queensland, or if it was a touch of Aussie bravado.
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After adding a few postcards to my collection, I headed back to the apartment. Soon after, Rachel and Val also returned from their second day on the reef. I sipped on a local beer called Coral Sea while listening to their stories. Their morning was a bit stormier with less water clarity, but they managed to spot several “bigger” animals including a reef shark and a stingray. In the end, all four of us had a second adventure that complemented our initial snorkeling excursion.

​During our last dinner and breakfast, tried to polish off the leftovers, including a can of corn kernels (in "Caans" no less!) We also made progress on the tropical fruits from Rusty’s Market. We polished off the dragonfruit and papaya, tucked away a passionfruit for later, and hopped into our Uber to the airport. Check-in and security went smoothly, and soon we boarded our flight to Adelaide.

To close, here are some of Val's incredible photos from the second GBR day.