Great Barrier Reef

The urban face of Great Reef

Today was perhaps the day that will stay with us most vividly. Finally, we have a morning where we don't need to wake up early, so we go to the peaceful center of Port Douglas for breakfast and head towards the departure point to connect with the Quicksilver... the catamaran that will take us out to the Coral Sea. The dock includes a series of restaurants and shops, essentially a large shopping center located outside the town. At 10:30 we depart towards the LARGE CORAL REEF, it's 80 km to get to Angincourt, which is located on the outermost part of the reef.

A short distance away, the water depth decreases from just a few dozen meters to the ocean depths that can reach 2000 meters. The journey takes an hour and a half, passing alongside the Low Islands and reaching the pier anchored in a rich area with coral reefs. From here, we'll try the new snorkeling experience. The reflected sea water makes it difficult to see what's below, but as soon as we put on our mask and snorkel and submerge our heads... a new world appears that we could only dream of. Just a few meters below (a truly amazing thing to consider the distance from the coast), there is a coral reef and various colorful fish, so realistic they seemed fake. Not even the best aquariums could achieve this. We play in the water for an hour and a half. A quick lunch at the rich buffet on the catamaran, followed by a thirty-minute ride on a special boat with a glass bottom. Here too, we can admire the beauty and variety of the reef up close, although the thick glass slightly reduces the vibrant colors of the corals. The fish here also seem fake, with bright colors that resemble a festive parade. We leave at 2:50 PM; the sea is starting to get a little choppy, and the hostesses are busy collecting the trash bags from tourists who are suffering from seasickness. We endure stoically like two experienced sailors… We arrive at our destination at 4:00 PM. Dinner in a romantic restaurant along the harbor. To try something new tonight, we order shrimp with garlic sauce, calamari with chili and pepper sauce, smoked ocean trout (similar to salmon), and a typical dessert: pavlova, a meringue with cream and passion fruit, probably of New Zealand origin. A walk through the center, which is certainly different from that of Cairns. Without any pretensions of grandeur, it conveys a sense of peace, despite being very popular with tourists. The hotel where we are staying is also very quiet, even though it's almost full.