Our First Look at Port Douglas

It was dark when we landed in Cairns, so the bus ride north to Port Douglas was lacking in scenery. But our accomodations were the best of the trip! Actually, we had little opportunity to take advantage of all the space we had in this apartment. Through the glass doors was a whirlpool bath. The apartment was very comfortably furnished.

We wasted no time in hitting the streets and finding a restaurant with some pretty good pizza. 

Tropical Triathelon -- Cruise, Brews, Jacuz

Indeed, a little spa just off the living room. 

Our First View of Port Douglas in the Daylight

In the morning, we walked a block or two for breakfast. Here is a street just off the main drag through the town. It's nice to see all of the lush green tropical vegetation after several days in the relatively arid Outback. 

Aboard the Wave Dancer

Our group and many others head out from Port Douglas to the Great Barrier Reef. The Wave Dancer is a catamaran with sails and diesel power. We're headed for the Low Islands, on the inner Great Barrier Reef, just a few miles off shore. 

A Marine Biologist Tells Us What We Are Going To See

This young woman lets us know what we'll see when we get into the water. For one, we're all going to wear full blue lycra suits. These cover virtually every inch of skin. Their primary purpose is to protect us from the tenticles of a nasty local jellyfish with a venom potent enough to send us to the hospital writhing in pain. Beyond that, the suits offer some protection from the Sun and from abrasions from the coral.

We are advised not to mess with the wildlife and to leave things as we find them.

Sandi and Medio Listening to the Lecture

 

John Shields Himself from the Sun

 

My SCUBA Buddy

An untimate objective of the cruise on the Wave Dancer was to get out to see the Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world. We were offered three modes of viewing the Reef: SCUBA, snorkeling or a ride on a glass-bottom boat. While virtually everyone went snorkeling, four of us went SCUBA diving off the stern of the boat: a Quicksilver guide, another gentleman, Jo and I.

The dive was pretty tame - 35 minutes in water no deeper than 20 feet. That was fine, though, giving us plenty of light and a lot of color. There were so many types of coral, lots of brightly colored fish, numbers of sea turtles. The dive fulfilled a dream I've had for 40 years to see this reef, the largest in the world.