It’s not “The Meh Barrier Reef,” it’s not even “The OK Barrier Reef,”

It’s THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!!! And it was such a cool experience magnified by the fact that my camera is completely waterproof so I was able to take some fun pictures swimming in that aqua blue (and at times chilly) water.

My hostel in Cairns (Traveler’s Oasis) is truly one of the top 5 hostels that I’ve stayed at, ever. It’s got a nice homely feel and even has a pool and barbecue the guests can use freely. What’s even nicer is the amazing staff will book any tour for you without any kind of commission. I decided on the mid-tier option for a snorkel tour to The Reef on a $6M catamaran with a full crew of friendly and knowledgeable staff. The price was staggering ($189 Australian dollars) but I doubt I’ll be back in this part of the world any time soon. So I said “YOLO” and booked. I’m really happy I did.

We set sail at 8am and it took about 2 hours to get to the first part of the reef. I think they called it “Little Tracy.” After a quick re-introduction to snorkeling, we were allowed to get into the water when the Skipper yelled, “pool’s open!” I have never seen such pretty colors underwater before. Just absolutely stunning and I’m glad I didn’t do the diving option – side note, I don’t think you’re allowed to do it if you’re on thyroid medication and even snorkeling had me a little confused because I had to breathe out of my mouth but my brain kept telling me I was underwater. I didn’t stay too long in the water as I started getting cold and tired of swimming that long. Also, there was a second spot we were heading to after lunch and I wanted to save my energy.

Here are some pictures from the first snorkel spot:

After we came on board, there was a buffet lunch that was pretty impressive. That alone justified the high cost of the tour in this girl’s always-hungry opinion. After lunch, Skipper yelled “pool’s open” again and we were off into “Three Sisters.” It was here that I saw a reef shark! Yes, I saw a shark. I didn’t get to see a turtle or “Nemo” fish and the water was murky in that part of the water. I did however, capture this neon green thing that I have no clue what it was but this is completely unedited (3rd picture). I also included a selfie underwater because why not?!