March 24, 2012 Sat Day 44 Cairns

Happy Birthday to our granddaughter Sara.  Enjoy your day even though you are a bit sick.

                                       A big hug from Grandma and Grandpa.

Today we got up at 6:30 for Sea Walking, Snorkeling and a Submarine ride on the famous
Great Barrier Reef.  1 1/4 hrs by boat to Green Island for the adventures.  
Quite a small island.  It takes 40 min to walk around this island.
  

Instructions on Sea Walking.  Marcel got a Lycra suit that was on the small side.

Raft we took to the vessel. 

Immy was the first to go down the ladder. 

Going...Going

Gone 

Then Peter getting pushed down with a 80 lb. helmet. 

And Marcel

I was allowed to go below to take pictures of them in the water.
Not great shots through thick glass.  They had half an hour on the ocean floor.
The Coral Sea

 We rented an underwater camera Marcel was in charge of. 

The fish pictures are stunning

Peter on the right. 

Marcel coming back up.

And Peter

And Immy

Back on the dingy to shore.  

Great Egret

Next was snorkeling.  Immy and I going backwards in the water.  

Marcel took a picture of me just to prove I was there.
And I am sooo easy to recognize!

It wasn't until just before we had to leave for our next adventure, that we realized the fish were bigger and more colorful as the water got deeper.  

Maybe a tiny shark or eel?

Hokey He.  Life will never be the same after this day.
The semi submersible submarine.

Below water level to view coral reef and marine life. 

With an enormous amount of space!!!!  Outside..not inside. 

Fish and coral pics taken through the glass. 

This was a big guy.  Glad there was glass between us. 

On our way back to shore.  We were all exhausted. 

Leaving Green Island

Very choppy on the way back.  Closest I came to feeding the fish. 

Approaching Cairns.  

"The Big Cat" we were on.
A very long but exhilarating day.  We all slept 11 hrs that night.