March 10th, 2016 

  Our bus left early from Arlie Beach, which gave us plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and a couple of movies.  

 Ten hours later, that evening, we arrived to the station. Our accommodation was in a great location, just a quick one minute drive to the city center.

 The next day we caught the free shuttle into town and enjoyed the awesome public pool. The ocean was just steps away, but not swimmable due to low tide, jellyfish season, and crocodiles. 

   

While we were in town we also booked our Great Barrier Reef excursion and enjoyed some tasty food afterward. 

    
 
The next morning we headed to the port, excited for our day trip out to the reef. 

  Our first hour on the boat was spent going over all the safety precautions and instructions for our first introductory dive! Once we approached the outskirts of the reef, it was time to get fitted for our vest and oxygen tank. Once our gauges were checked, into the water we went!

However, before we could start our dive, we had to pass two underwater tests. The first, you had to partially fill your face mask with water and then clear the water out by blowing air out of your nose. The second, a little more tricky, you had to remove your mouth piece, exhale air bubbles out of your mouth, then put the mouthpiece back into your mouth and continue to breath normally. Since we were not PADI certified, we had an instructor with us during the dive to check our gauges and make sure we were safe. 

The thirty minutes flew by and soon enough I was instructed to inflate my jacket, which brought me quickly back up to the surface! 

Our first diving experience was a little chaotic and crazy, but it was worth every second!                              My advice if you plan to do an introductory dive, go on a smaller boat with less people to insure that you have enough one on one time with the instructor. 

 
After lunch, we arrived to our second coral reef. As we overlooked the water from the deck, we saw that this reef was in a much better location.  

    
 The second we opened our eyes underwater, we found ourselves submerged in an enchanted underwater paradise, surrounded by the most vibrant coral as far as our eye could see. The fish were everywhere, weaving in and out and smiling for the camera!   

    
  
    
    
      
We explored the city of Cairns for the rest of our stay and we often thought of Leon and Kate, a lovely Australian couple that we met almost 5 years ago in Bora Bora. Our short time together was spent sharing stories, taking in the beautiful sights and eating local food on an island 4×4 tour.They told us that if we ever made it to Australia, that Cairns was their favorite spot and now we can see why.   
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and offers over 3,000 individual coral systems and coral cays. It is larger than The Great Wall of China and offers an abundance of marine life and scattered with pristine beaches. This enchanted underwater world has a lot more left to discover on our next visit!  

 Next stop…Phillipines!!!