March 6, 2023
We dropped anchor about 3 miles out of Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach is the gateway to Queensland’s pristine Whitsunday Islands. James Cook named the islands in 1770, as he believed he passed though the area on the Christian festive day of Whit Sunday.
From Airlie Beach it is only 30 miles to The Great Barrier Reef, which was my destination for the day. I boarded a catamaran with 149 other people to head out to a pontoon in the barrier reef that would be out base of the day. The pontoon had all the gear along with changing rooms to facilitate snorkeling or diving on the reef.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 21,400 miles. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981 and is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park ,which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and it’s
ecosystem include climate change, accompanied by mass coral bleaching and dumping of dredging sludge. The reef has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985, a finding reaffirmed by a 2020 study which found over half of the reef’s coral cover to have been lost between 1995 and 2017, with the effects of a widespread 2020 bleaching event.
Although the water was hazy due to a storm that happened the day before it was still a very special day to be able to snorkel in the reef. The underwater pictures are not great because of the haze and because I was so focused absorbing the experience that I forgot to take pictures…ooops! The coral bleaching is very evident as the colors I was expecting was not as vibrant. Scientists believe that in time some of the coral will regain it colors.
The water was warm so I was able to stay in the for over 2 hours just floating and enjoying the sites. The blue suits are spandex and we had to wear these stinger suits and protect from the jellyfish stings!! The suit made it bit hard to operate the camera as I wearing spandex mittens but worth it not to get stung. The suits are hard to get on and even harder to get off!!
The joy I felt for getting to snorkel on The Great Barrier Reef was so intense that I had a hard time keeping my emotions contained and cried a bit when I was done. What an incredible day! I am so blessed to be experiencing so many incredible “Best Days Ever”!!
Next up Brisbane and the Koala Sanctuary. I will try not to kidnap a Koala but can’t promise that one won’t end up in my backpack!!
I wish for you many, many years filled with “best days ever!” And can you please bring me home a Koala, too?
Totally freaking awesome!!!! Can’t thank you enough for sharing your incredible adventure with us!