Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure in the world. It is also the only living thing visible from the moon. So a visit to Cairns would not be complete without visiting the reef. Denny and Angie wanted to do an intro scuba dive on a ship that is oriented mainly towards scuba divers. The thought of diving from a sailing ship was what captivated me. I went out on the "Ocean Free", a 64 foot sailing ship. There were only twenty passengers and a crew of four. The seas were unusually rough and the waves broke over the bow and ran along the deck. That was sort of scary for a sailing neophyte like me.

We ended up at a reef just one kilometer off off Green Island. I snorkel dived constantly. The crew nicknamed me "the fish".

We also went over to Green Island for a bit of beach time.

The 64-foot Ocean Free under full sail

The Ocean Free with its first mate.

A view towards the bow on the way out to Green Island. This picture was caught before the waves started boiling over the top of the ship.

A view towards the stern. The Ocean Free is being captained by its owner.

We were anchored in the coral reefs just one kilometer from Green Island.

Mike on deck on the Ocean Free after a day of snorkeling.

After the cruise, a crew member and five of us went out for drinks. We then went to the Wool Shed when we spent a good two hours dancing on table tops. Great fun! Long day.

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