We woke up early for a day trip on the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef and the largest living structure on earth. The Australia natural icon was high on our list and it cost us a little fortune to get to the Agincourt ribbon reef sites, the very outer edge of Great Barrier Reef.
After check-in at the Marina, we boarded the ultramodern SilverSonic, a 29-metre high-speed catamaran. We headed through the channel into the reef. The ride to the Agincourt Reef was smooth, stable and only took an hour and a half. That the time we needed to experience the real Outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef without going on a live-aboard boat.
Today, we only signed up for snorkelling but people swam and scuba dived. We received a site and safety briefing by the snorkelling advisor and were ready to explore up close the Great Barrier Reef.
Equipped with a full body lycra suits to protect us from stingray, flippers, face mask and snorkel, we jumped into the warm water. We drifted with the current as we explored the rich life underwater. We were hoping to see reef sharks as we spotted one from the boat but the creatures were easy to scare and hide away as we swam around the vessel. After more than an hour exploring the legendary Great Barrier Reef, we returned to the boat, exhausted but overjoyed. The coral was so close to the surface, and the variety was just amazing.
A half hour later, we reached the next site, called ‘occasional turtle site’. And indeed we didn't see any turtles but we appreciate the huge coral formations inhabited by the myriad of fishes of all sizes, forms and colours. During the second stop, lunch was served. There was plenty of hot and cold food to choose from on the buffet.
Around 2 o'clock, with a full stomach, we kitted out our snorkelling gear for the last time and ventured out into the water. The third and last site was the best with this section of the reef being the calmest and the most heavily populated with corals and all sea creatures.
We ended our reef experience with another high-speed catamaran ride back to Port Douglas where we rewarded ourselves with a good dinner and a good night's sleep. We just had experienced the Great Barrier Reef, a true wonder of the world that is 2,300km long.