Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea and joy to Nate and NOT Kristy

Words cannot justly describe our trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Boarding a smallish boat in Cairns harbor to make the 2 1/2 hour journey to our bigger boat (where we spent the night) will some day be amusing but at this point is still alittle like living a nightmare.

Our first briefing on the boat included safety issues, a schedule and the "If you have to spew, spew in this" speech. Alarm bells are going off in Kristy's head as she is not known for having a strong stomach. At the urging of the guides, we took ginger tablets (to settle the stomach). They were successful since Kristy did not end up feeding the fish from her permanent perch at the back on the boat. She could be heard muttering "You can stay if you want to but I am going home!" and "This is what hell must feel like" while gripping the railing battling off breakfast and tears.

We decided to go aboard the larger boat, lay down and decide after lunch if we would return to Cairns or spend the night on the ship. The rest and food improved Kristy's spirit and we stayed.

We donned out wet suits, snorkels and fins, jumped off the back of the boat and headed to the reef. It was MASSIVE! The amount, variety, size and color of the reef is breathtaking. Swimming beside and on top of it was a delight. The fish were also beautiful! We saw heaps of different colors, sizes and shapes. Some of our favorites were the clown fish, a huge sea turtle, butterfly fish, a sting ray and a reef shark! The current was strong and it was difficult as far as snorkelling goes, but the pay off was BIG! In two days at sea, we snorkelled 4 times at three reefs.

Nate tried SCUBA diving. This was his second time since he also tried it in Mallorca. It gave him a very different view of the reef and fish. Nate also tried a new water sport called "BOOM Netting". Not just a clever name. He held on to a large net behind our boat until you can A) Not hold on b/c of the water in your face B) cannot breathe b/c of all the water in your face or C) Have to let go b/c your swimmies (bathing suit) are around your ankle. Unfortunately, Nate fell into catogory C!

All in all we had some laughs, got some sun and saw one of the natural wonders of the world.