The sea was angry that day my friends....

It has been the wettest October in 43 years in Cairns. That's because Laura and I are visiting.

We had hoped by postponing our trip to the Great Barrier Reef till the last day we were to be in Cairns, the weather might improve. It didn't. 

The Quicksilver catamaran left the dock in Port Douglas at 10am precisely (if there's one thing these Aussies are - it's on time!). We had been warned that their 1 hour 30 minute crossing of the Coral Sea to their floating pontoon location on the outermost reef would be "rough". They were handing out ginger tablets (and, for those that ginger didn't work, some narcotic) for sea sickness. Even though I took two ginger before we left, Laura said I looked "a little green" by the time we arrived.

As soon as we tied up beside the pontoon, we headed over to their partially submersible submarine/boat to take a half hour tour of the reef - it's sort of a glass bottom boat, except the sides are underwater and you sit at windows looking at all the fishies. The tour was really quite good, and showed you what you could expect when snorkeling, without getting wet. Alas, the boat itself was quite claustrophobic, hot and bouncy (because of the choppy sea), so it didn't help my green-ness.

We got back onto the platform and Laura donned a rented Lycra suit for her first dip into the Coral Sea/Great Barrier Reef. They rent the suits, I imagine, because they can capitalize on a little "fear-uncertainty-doubt" with the passengers - they told us that nomally the jellyfish don't arrive until November, but because the water was especially warm, they were early. And a jellyfish sting is not something you want to experience. So we rented a couple of suits.

Laura enjoyed frolicking in the sea, despite the swell and the waves, and after she came out for some lunch, I decided that I better have a go of it as well. Donning the same (type, not actually the same) lycra, and attaching an XXXL lifevest, I went in the water for a half hour or so. I was worried the whole time that the waves would swamp the snorkle, but they didn't.

Overall, it was a fantastic, though expensive, day. We were picked up at 8:10am and dropped off at 6:30pm completely exhausted. Highly recommended.