Ready, set, snorkel!

Our first day in Cairns I'd signed us up for an all day snorkeling trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. The set up was a little different than the trip out from Hamilton Island. First, even though it was cheaper, the equipment was better all around--we got full scuba-style wetsuits even while snorkeling, and the snorkels they used seemed higher quality.

And the location! I saw more fish in the first five minutes where they took us than in the entire time at the other place. There were far too many fish for me to remember all of them, but I know that I saw an enormous school of yellowtail blue damsels really distinctive because of their bright colors. I also saw a moorish idol, which I recognized thanks to "Finding Nemo".

The worst part was the trip back--the seas were getting rough, and our tiny ship was tossed. So tossed, in fact, that at least one passenger did a little tossing of their own. Fortunately, the front and back of the ship were full of fresh ocean air. From the front you could see where they were doing controlled burns of sugar cane fields. Altogether, it was a great trip, and I'll recommend the Tusa Dive tour to everyone I know!