The great barrier reef is truly great

Thursday is the day we went to the Great Barrier Reef. All the superlatives you've heard about the reef are true. Gorgeous green water, pristine white sand cays, an endless variety of sea creatures and corals in all sizes, shapes and colors and friendly Australian guides to it all. This is the trip of a lifetime.

The one unfortunate thing about our trip was that we happened to be the first diving group (there were four students to an instructor in the introductory dives). When you have the air tank and weights and are just figuring out to breath through a regulator, being shoved into 30-feet water is scary. So, we didn't end up doing much on the dive. As one of my friends, a diving instructor says, the introductory dives end up pushing it too quick. So, if you want to dive, learn to dive before you come.

But the snorkeling itself was great. Many corals are shallow, and the shallower the corals, the more vibrant the colors. And even in 4-feet waters, the variety of fish and sea critters is incredible. We even saw a blue starfish. There were whales a mile away, but by the time the boat got there, they were gone. So, we didn't see any whales or reef sharks.

The water was a clear, spectacular green. The sea was choppy yesterday, but visibility was still about 30 feet. There was an amazing variety of coral, and with four-feet corals near the cay, you could snorkel for a few minutes over the rocks watching the corals and fish and then simply stand in the sand for a while. Did I mention that this is the trip of a lifetime?