Hello from sunny Cairns!
The sun is shining, the weather is great and we have an action packed few days here! Before diving in to our first day activity at the great barrier reef, we spent some time learning about the reef and what we should expect while scuba diving and/or snorkeling. The fish were just amazing, the coral was colorful, and the reef in itself is “just the coolest thing ever” according to Liza F! The ninety minute boat ride to the reef was filled with amazing views of the city, mountains and sea life. Once at the reef, the divers got all suited up with their wetsuits, oxygen tanks and masks and were ready to explore what was 20-30 feet underneath the ocean! Brian S and Zach spotted a whole bunch of Nemo’s, while Ally A and Rachel G spotted some blue, purple and yellow rainbow fish! Our snorkelers had just as much to see as well – Joey G, Jenna L, Cory W and Abigail F saw some pretty amazing fish and all said the coral was amazing! Adam M and Jack B were amongst a few who went for a second dive and had a unique opportunity to swim through a cave and said it was one the best experiences of their lives! They saw a ton of giant clams and starfish!
As we boated back to the city, we enjoyed a nice dinner and a movie to conclude our long but amazing day!If you think we were taking a day off from the water, think again! Day 2 was Cable skiing! Some knee boarded while others wake boarded – but one thing was common all around … ear to ear smiles every time they lapped the course without falling! Ron S was particularly excited and overjoyed when he went around the entire course without falling! Way to go Ron! Lindy S was a complete natural on the wake board and showed many how to stay up for the entire ride. Patrick C showed us that he can complete not one, but 3 laps without falling once! Raquel K had no problems showing us her same skills as she lapped the course a couple times as well! Sean S, Jack P, Noah J, Aiden A, Devon K, Jonah E, Andrew G and Alex G went for the most laps as they refused to give up until they lapped the course a few times per ride!
Since Cairns is the warmest city we stay in Australia, we must take advantage of the water (as we’ve demonstrated thus far). Day 3 was no exception as we were fortunate enough to white water raft the Tully river! Many of our tour members had muscles grown that day as we paddled and paddled through some of the most exciting rapids! We went down slides, paddled through tough rapids and cruised along some spots of the river. Josephine G, Lindsey G, Lauren A and Jordyn B showed us just how hard they can paddle by keeping the momentum going through each rapid! Amazing! The boys were exceptional as well – Peter S, Sam R and Max R kept their raft going as well as they never gave up and paddled through every time they were needed! It was a long and wet day at the rapids, but we sure did get a workout! Amazing job everyone!
Well folks, our last day in Cairns was just as wet as the first 3 … but not as intense! We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day on Green Island – just a short 45 minute boat ride out of Cairns to enjoy some snorkeling, beach time, and a glass bottom boat ride! While Rachel G showed us her skills on the volleyball court, Gabby M and Maegan T chose to relax on the beach and soak in some sun. Daniel A snorkeled while Cameron went to explore some more reef fish on the glass bottom boat ride! Jack P, Cliff G, Alex G and Andrew G cracked open coconuts with their bare hands!
After feeling rejuvenated and relaxed, we boated back to the city, had some down time, had dinner in smaller groups and enjoyed a restful night as we had to wave goodbye to Sunny Cairns and gear up for Sydney! As we approach our last city in the land down under, we will be sure to inform you of all our adventures in the great city!
Sincerely,
Michael, Matt, Leanne & Dawn
The Westcoast Blogger
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