Das Große Barrier Reef

Today we went snorkeling at the reef. There are countless providers for this - everything costs about the same (150 euros per person 😳😳) and is booked days in advance! There are providers who go to a platform and then you can snorkel with 500 others at the reef! We didn't want that at all, so we specifically looked for a small group - that was exactly the right thing to do!

Wake up at 6 a.m. and off to the harbor, we first try on the wetsuit and fins, they are put in a box with our names and taken on the boat! Then there's an instruction about the boat and we set off. Our guide has long hair and a braid - like all the guides so far - maybe you need that to be a guide..... 😂

I decide to rent a camera - I somehow can't do it without one! 🤗

The guide gives it to me and says 'I tell you how it works....' and then says quietly in the Baden dialect 'Let me explain to you how it works'... funny! A person from Freiburg who has been living in Australia for 5 years!!

We sit up with the skipper and that's a good thing! The journey to the reef takes 2 hours in rough seas! At some point the guide comes up and says that 8 people downstairs are hanging over the bucket, good thing we don't notice that 🙄 and good thing we're fine! 

Arriving at the reef, everyone squeezes into their wetsuits and fins, we get everything explained and off we go! Mika gets a noodle under his arm so he can stay afloat and not accidentally dive too deep! I can't even describe it... we see so many crazily shaped corals and lots of fish - sometimes whole schools!

The corals are almost all gray / brown and only a few are colorful! Later we're told that the corals only fluoresce in color when they're not doing well and they're stressed. So I'm glad they're not so colorful ☺️! I also found it exciting that anemone fish (like Nemo, which we also see) can change their gender as needed, depending on what is needed at the time! Actually quite practical! 

After eating, Daniel and I go out again - Mika doesn't want to anymore - too cold - too salty 🙄! Meanwhile, the nice person from Freiburg takes him for a ride in the small motor dinghy!

Daniel and I discover another great spot and see even more colorful fish! Beautiful!! 

After a few hours we head back and just before Magnetic Island we even see 3 humpback whales 🐳! It's so beautiful and a great ending! 

In the evening we have a barbecue again - we haven't done that for 2 days ☺️... and fall into bed completely exhausted at 8.30 p.m.!

It's still swaying.......

.... and now at 2 a.m. I'm wide awake! Unfortunately, there are only one or two photos! Don't have any more on my phone!

I'm going to go back to sleep!

Good night!!!!