Dream fulfilled: Diving the Great Barrier Reef
The Alabama Expat is all smiles after a dive above the coral on the Great Barrier Reef.
She’s not Jacques Cousteau, but The Alabama Expat finally achieved her dream of diving on the Great Barrier Reef.
It happened in late June, during a vacation in Australia. Cairns, a resort town so far up the continent’s northeastern peninsula that on the map is closer to New Guinea than Tasmania, and is one of Australia’s favorite jumping off points for the reef.
The reef itself is a series of coral reefs and islands stretching about 1,400 miles off Australia’s eastern coast. From Cairns, it’s about 50 miles offshore, or a 90-minute ride by one of the fast catamarans docked near Cairns’ Esplanade.
June is winter in Australia, but with Cairns relatively close to the equator, it’s humid. When the opportunity to dive came around, the temperature was in the low 80s, with the water temperature about 72 degrees. Overcast, windy and with intermittent rain, conditions meant the ride to the reef was a bit bumpy, with a chop on the water.
There are several dive operations in Cairns and I signed up for a day trip with Reef Magic Cruises. The company has a diving center on Moore’s Reef, with a covered buffet and dining area, changing rooms so you can slip into your swim gear and a wetsuit that’s provided, a diving platform, and a semi-submersible and a glass-bottom boat to get a peek beneath the waves if you don’t want to get wet.
For those who want to get into the water, there are several options: a protected area for tiny tots, snorkeling, helmet diving, free diving for certified divers, diving instruction and snuba, a diving experience that involves being tethered to a raft containing your air supply.
Which experience did I pick?
Tune in tomorrow for Part II of The Alabama Expat’s adventure on the Great Barrier Reef!
