Day 34: The Reef

I don't know why this is coming out all underlined in blue. Sometimes the iPad is a mystery. I certainly am not intending to put in a million hyperlinks.The nice Irish man at the hostel front desk went over my options for going out to the reef and somehow convinced me that I should go with the most expensive option. It stops in three different locations whereas all the rest only stop twice. It goes faster and further so you're seeing the least undamaged areas possible. Etcetera etcetera.So I joined my fellow passengers aboard the SilverSwift, Cairn's fanciest (budget) single-day reef cruise. 

I booked one (introductory) scuba dive, and snorkled at the other two sites. It took about two and a half hours to get all the way out to the first stop, on the outer reef. Several different sources had strongly recommended that I take seasickness pills before the journey started, so I was first in line to buy those on the boat.Best $3 I've ever spent. The wind was strong, the water extremely choppy, and a third of the passengers on the boat were ill. I sat out on the back deck with everyone else and ate my ice chips and felt a big smug. I'm no Mom or Lani, but I do get a bit motion-sick, so those pills were magical.Before diving:

I'd dived (very strange past tense of this verb. Is it right?) once before, eight years ago in Hawaii. But this was better! SO many colorful fish and coral and turtles. Several people saw some (little) reef sharks but I didn't.This is Nigel. He follows the boat around and is good friends with the photographer. I feel that I had no choice but to buy this picture...

And while I was at it, why not the kitchy one as well:

  And that last one is pre-snorkeling.This blue underlining is so annoying I'm tempted not to continue. But what the heck, now I'm over on the side and it's normal black on white. I don't know whether/how to continue.

Anyway, the reef was lovely. I managed to avoid sunburn, which I think is a great feat. Wore that suit thing whenever I went in the water. At the last stop it was extremely choppy but they are clever and anchor the boat downwind so at least when you are tired of fighting to stay over the coral you can just float back.

And then home in time to sneak in a run before Aussie BBQ night at the hostel! Monday nights they cook up kangaroo, emu, crocodile, and some kind of fish I can't remember (Barramunda? something like that?) for everyone to try, for a small price of course. The most interesting thing for me was that the emu was red meat! Kind of like venison. I expected that from the kangaroo but not from a BIRD (or dinosaur, as you all know I am fond of saying).

Sorry for how annoying the formatting on this post came out. And are some of the pictures squished?? I give up. 

P.s. after posting all my blue underlines appear to be red. Whatever.