Any Australia itinerary is going to inevitably include an afternoon snorkeling and diving among the coral and the swarming fish colonies at the Great Barrier Reef, because what could be more Australian? Perhaps throwing a boomerang, or petting a kangaroo, or yelling something about throwing something or other on the barbie (though, admittedly, none of these Australian cliches rang true upon spending a month traversing the country’s eastern coast; I somehow avoided hearing the word “barbie” come up in conversation at all).
The Great Barrier Reef was christened as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, and has been a popular destination for both tourists and locals. Unfortunately, the Reef is also under distress, its coral bleached by the strengthening sun’s rays, the habitats’ livability dwindling, and the structure receding bit by bit and day by day. The Reef, according to a 2012 study, has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985. Like an old relative, long neglected and rarely worth the effort of concern but now sick and dying, the Reef has recently become the recipient of love and care, and visits to the site at an all time high as concerned tourists try to get what could be their last glimpse of one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
The Reef is so vast, so expansive, that at 344,000 square kilometers it can be seen from outer space. It is the largest single structure in existence made entirely of living organisms, its sheer size in and of itself making the Reef an incredible work of art.
Climate change, overfishing, and pollution are the main threats to the ecosystem, and elevated ocean temperatures are leading to more coral bleaching annually. In March 2015, the Australian government proposed the 2050 plan, detailing measures for long-term management of the environmental threats to the Reef, including water quality improvement, reef restoration, and elimination of predatory starfish. They are also working to limit the amount of tourism in the area, in an attempt to limit the human impact on the site, despite the amount of tourism money garnered from visitors.
When my sister Meredith and I were in Australia, we had the Reef at the top of our bucket list, as we heeded warnings that it may be our last chance to see it, even in its diminished glory. We booked a flight to Cairns, a laid-back coastal town in northeastern Australia and a popular hub for visits to the Reef, and made finding the right boat a priority. Though there are many places from which you can visit the Reef, Cairns offers the greatest number of tour operators and thus the most variety.
After much pain-staking research, Down Under Cruise and Dive seemed like the obvious choice. Their website was a bit clunky, but it seemed to offer the best experience, maximizing Reef time and inclusionary of food for the day.
My sister and I, upon arrival on the boat that would bring us out to the Great Barrier Reef, instantly noticed a tall blond Australian named Sam, a certified diver and certified Reef expert, and spent the rest of the trip quietly bickering over who would get to have him (though we are both in loving relationships and Sam was probably five years my junior, if I’m being honest with myself and with all of you).
As we were getting ready to snorkel, Sam sauntered up to Meredith and asked where she was from. She claimed he wanted her more because of this, and she insisted that she gained points. On the top deck as I was taking pictures of the Reef, he threw his polarized sunglasses at me, indicating that I should use the lens to improve my photo, but misunderstanding, I put the glasses on and continued to take my photos through my shitty iPhone lens. He uncomfortably motioned to me and tried to correct me in his thick Australian accent. I definitely lost points there.
In reality, neither of us would have gotten him because he likely didn’t want either of our awkward asses.
So yes, this cruise had cute employees who were passionate about the Great Barrier Reef. But that was hardly consequential.
The schedule of events began as follows: we were picked up via shuttle from outside of our hotel, boarded the boat, and received a briefing on the lower deck about what to expect for the day, while enjoying complimentary tea, coffee, and biscuits. We rode about an hour across rough waves to the first site, Hastings, where we climbed into our wetsuits (which were optional and ended up being completely unnecessary, because even in June, those waters were warm and inviting), our flippers, and our masks, and hopped into the water.
We were given ample time for snorkeling, and even in its diminished state, with its faded colors and living habitats, the Reef is something to behold. Underwater, the ecosystem was tranquil, clownfish, red bass, and trout gliding between the coral, the blues and greens and reds of the coral itself, though only a shadow of what they once were, absolutely gorgeous. The beauty was impossible to capture on film, but it is an image that will reside with me forever.
We climbed back aboard the boat and helped ourselves to lunch, which consisted of white fish, steak, prawns, and assorted salads. The lunch was decent, not spectacular, but what you might expect of a mass-produced meal meant to serve hundreds. At the very least, it upheld our energy levels as the day wore on.
If we were expecting the serenity of the Reef and its aquatic life to extend to the waters, we were mistaken. To our surprise, the waters were extremely rough, sending us flying across the deck on more than one occasion. At one point, walking across the boat holding my assortment of food on a plate for lunch, we hit a rough patch and a piece of bread soared off the plate and almost skidded across the deck straight into the water. I lunged, half naked in my bikini, clinging to the bread at the last minute before it plunged into the clear blue waters, horrified that I could be so careless as to allow anything foreign to enter into this endangered ecosystem (“The coral!! The FISHIES!” I cried), when really the bread probably would have dissolved and gotten devoured and the coral and the fishies would have been just fine.
Everywhere we turned, another passenger was barfing into a sick bag ashamedly in the corner of the boat. I fell off the couch on the top deck during an obligatory photo shoot and rolled halfway across the deck before coming to a halt and climbing shakily to my feet to the uproarious laughter of a few German teenage boys, who had witnessed the entire thing.
Basically, be prepared for some turbulence, even if the waves are not entirely visually obvious. It is not a joke.
After lunch, we headed to another site on the Reef, called Saxon, and dropped anchor again. Snorkeling, including all the necessary equipment, was included as part of the package for this trip. For an extra $50, passengers could also add a supplemental introductory dive (or certified dive), and for an extra $10, a trip to the bottom of the boat, a glass room where the Reef is visible through the glass from underwater, where a certified marine biologist educates you about the aquatic life of the Reef. My sister and I were, as they say, “ballin’ on a budget,” and did not add any supplements to our experience, and were still able to spend hours in the water itself, which was adequate time for Reef exploration.
When we were fatigued from swimming around the second site, we climbed back on the boat and were treated to fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, and a glass of complimentary wine. My sister sliced her shin open on the ladder back onto the deck, but told everyone she actually cut it on the Reef to come off as cool, and they had a first aid kit to clean it and bandage it up for her (hint, though: don’t get so close to the Reef that you’re cutting yourself on it, because that isn’t very eco-conscious of you. In other words, do not touch the Reef. Lookie, no touchie).
By the end of the day, we were exhausted, well-fed, and brimming with satisfaction and gratitude over having gotten the opportunity and the privilege to visit one of the natural wonders of the world and Earth’s largest ecosystem. It was an honor.
Some things to keep in mind for anyone planning to visit this iconic place:
- Again, don’t get too close to the Reef. The coral is living and breathing, and it is sick, so keep your distance.
- Don’t let anything fall into the water. A lot of the ships anchoring at the Reef offer lunches including plastic butter packets, which I actually found unfortunate considering the immense issue of plastic pollution in our oceans. Be very careful to keep any and all plastic aboard the ship.
- You’ll need plenty of sun protection, because Australia is right below the hole in the ozone layer, and thus there is not a lot of natural protection from the sun. Be sure to wear biodegradable sunscreen, as sunscreen with oxybenzone and octinoxate chemicals can be harmful to the Reef’s DNA and contribute to coral bleaching.
- If it is “stinger season,” which is in the summer months, wear a stinger suit to protect yourself from jellyfish.
Down Under Cruise and Dive charges $185/person for an all-day trip to the Great Barrier Reef, which includes five hours of snorkeling at two different sites, hot lunch, snacks, a free drink, free stinger suits, and transportation to and from your hotel. For a destitute, budget traveler, this may put a bit of a dent in your wallet, but given the importance and the urgency, there is no better time to visit than now. You cannot visit Australia without visiting the Reef, just like no visit to Egypt would be complete without a visit to the Pyramids of Giza, and you would be remiss to forego a trip to the Grand Canyon on a southwestern United States road trip. Down Under Cruise and Dive makes it easy. They maximize your time on the Reef and they offer cute employees in front of whom you can embarrass yourself. A day with this company is a no-brainer.
For more information about how you can help the preservation efforts at the Great Barrier Reef, look into one (or all) of these organizations, who are working to save this beautiful ecosystem one donation at a time. If we do not work to save it, the Earth will have lost something extremely special. These efforts will help to prolong the Reef’s life, but the root cause of these problems is, namely, climate change, so experts doubt if these Reef-focused efforts will be enough to ultimately save the ecosystem. All we can do is raise awareness, hold our governments accountable, and minimize our own damage to the environment, each and every day.
