Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef

So, after Maggie I hopped on a bus up to Cairns.  It was uneventful and the highlight of the trip was the drunk guys sitting across from me.  I have no idea how it came up, but I caught this gem of a snippet from their conversation: "My favourite organ is the eyebrow.  All the other hair on your body keeps growing.  The eyebrow knows when to stop."  Uhhh...okay.  I'd hate to see how hairy his legs must be.

Cairns itself was nothing exciting other than being a good launching point for checking out the outer reef of the Great Barrier Reef, which was supposed to be much better than the fringing reef that I snorkelled around the Whitsundays.  And it was.  Aaaaaand, I finally got to use my underwater camera!

Our first snorkel spot was just off a teeny island...

Rockin' my super cool snorkel outfit.  The stinger suit protects you (mostly) from jellyfish and the sun.

First dip into the water.

First thing I saw - a stingray!

No, that isn't a really good zoom-in.  It's a GIANT fish (probably about 1/3 my size).

 

Giant clam!

View of our first snorkel spot.

Our second spot was a reef that had built up over the years to reach just below the surface of the water.  So, basically, just the middle of the ocean.

Lots o' fish

Trumpet fish