Today was a rather relaxing day. We left the hotel around 8 this morning to catch our boat out to the reef. It was a tad bit rainy on the way to the boat and then on the way to the reef, but it cleared up just in time for us to jump in the water and get our snorkeling on.
Our time on the reef started with a semi-submerged submarine tour of the surrounding, where one of the biologists on board talked to us about the different types of coral, how it forms, and its life cycle and symbiotic relationship with the environment. The kids were impressed how quickly they caught on to naming coral - i.e. it is named by how it looks, spaghetti coral, fan coral, branch coral, brain coral, boulder coral, etc. On the ride, we spotted both a sea turtle and a shark (not a big one).
Once back to our pontoon, we were ready to get into the water. All the kids got in and snorkeled around. We were lucky that there were a lot of fish to look at - and I'm sure everyone found Nemo! After a couple of hours in the water, it was time to head back to shore - which was about a 1-1/2 hour ride. The weather started acting up again and it was a bit of a rough, wet ride (try to say that 10 times fast) back to dock.
We have just finished dinner. Kids are playing in the game - killer game of ping pong. I'm sure the stakes are high - possible an ice cream on the line. Tomorrow we are off to the rainforest and some traditional Aussie activities. Still having fun, but looking forward to coming in a few days.
Our time on the reef started with a semi-submerged submarine tour of the surrounding, where one of the biologists on board talked to us about the different types of coral, how it forms, and its life cycle and symbiotic relationship with the environment. The kids were impressed how quickly they caught on to naming coral - i.e. it is named by how it looks, spaghetti coral, fan coral, branch coral, brain coral, boulder coral, etc. On the ride, we spotted both a sea turtle and a shark (not a big one). 
Once back to our pontoon, we were ready to get into the water. All the kids got in and snorkeled around. We were lucky that there were a lot of fish to look at - and I'm sure everyone found Nemo! After a couple of hours in the water, it was time to head back to shore - which was about a 1-1/2 hour ride. The weather started acting up again and it was a bit of a rough, wet ride (try to say that 10 times fast) back to dock. 
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