Reef Explorer
On our last day in Cairns, we booked a scuba/snorkel trip to the Great Barrier Reef aboard Reef Experience. We walked down to the pier and had to wait around for awhile before we were taken onboard. We had booked the top deck experience so our guide Harry led us to the wheelhouse where we sat with a number of other guests who were being ferried to a live-aboard boat where they would spend the night. This meant we would have the wheelhouse and Harry as our private guide most of the day. He served us a great breakfast of eggs and bacon and mushrooms as we headed out to the reef.
Snorkeling the Reef
We docked with the other boat and transferred the other passengers and their luggage and then moved to our reef spot. Janie donned her stinger suit and her snorkeling gear and headed off with Harry. He gave her a inner tube so he could lead her to some of his favorite spots. J. R. remained on the top deck with a few other people and got some sun.
After morning snorkeling, we went back into the wheelhouse where Harry served us a steak lunch and talked about the morning snorkeling and the spot nearby where we were going. The sea was getting rough so the captain decided not to venture to one of the other sites because it was going to be rough seas at either site. Janie headed out with Harry again while J. R. got a little too much sun on the top deck.
Back to Cairns
We were served sparkling wine, cheese and crackers and grapes as we headed back to the live-aboard ship to pick up passengers. Harry tried to keep them away from our section of the wheelhouse since we were his guests for the day but when he left to go downstairs, a family plopped down and the woman rudely said “we're top deck, we can sit where we want”. We didn't push the issue with Harry when he returned but it definitely was a downer after a great day, The seas were really rough coming back into Cairns and cheese and crackers were soon flying around the table.
Dinner at the Flynn
Dinner was downstairs at the Flynn again tonight before we went back up to the room to sit on our balcony and look out over the Espanade.
