To the edge of the continent... and into a giant clam!


Today we had the privilege of seeing one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World, and I also got to check off an item on my "list of things to do before I die". Took a bus from Cairns to Port Douglas, then got on a boat to explore the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef!! Our boat took us out to a platform in the middle of the ocean (see pic on right) where from its bridge, we could see flat water and then a sudden change where waves were breaking... that was the edge of the continental shelf! We snorkeled about 400 metres away from the edge of the world!

We were once again extremely lucky with the weather conditions. The north of Australia (including Cairns and Port Douglas) has recently been experiencing torrential rain and cyclones. Many reef trips over the last month had been canceled. However, for our journey it was nothing but sunshine and water so calm you could see to the bottom of the reef! As a result of this, another monumental thing happened... Marissa didn't get sea sick!!!!!!!! We went in a small group of 4 divers and one instructor to scuba the reef. It was an absolutely AMAZING, ONCE IN A LIFETIME experience, and definitely my highlight of Australia so far. As soon as we were underwater with our gear on, we could see massive fish with bright colours swimming all around us. Once we were on the ocean floor, our instructor took us to an anemone where 3 clown fish were living (even a small one... just like Nemo!) In the picture attached (all are from the web, but are excellent representations of what we saw) the anemone (finger-like plant) protects the clown fish, but traps and poisons all other fish that swim in. We got to put our fingers in the anemone and feel it try to grab and poison us! Luckily human skin is too thick for it to do any damage. Next we went up to a giant rock coral where a bunch of Christmas tree worms were living. They are really neat and brightly coloured (They like like Dr. Seuss Xmas trees!) but when you get near them, they retract into the coral at lightning speed! We also got to touch spaghetti coral, which is really soft and mushy! After that, we got to see a giant clam... the Great Barrier Reef is home to over 75% of the world's giant clam population. We all gathered beside it and stared at it with it's giant mouth open, and then our instructor motioned for us to stick our hands inside. We thought she was joking, but then she put her hand in and it closed... but not enough to trap your hand because the inside is really fleshy! We all put our hands inside and it felt so strange and really different than what you would expect!

After diving, we spent the rest of the day snorkeling and saw so many strange and beautiful species of fish and coral, including a trumpet fist (very strange), a blue starfish, a huge sea cucumber, more giant clams, and "Jake" the giant Maori Wrasse fish that hangs out near the platform... by far the ugliest fish ever!

Overall, an absolutely unforgettable day!!!!

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