So this was the day, the day I had been waiting for since I arrived in Cairns, yes we were going to swim the Northern Great Barrier Reef. Woohooo. I have to say I was very excited! Now as you are probably aware, money was becoming somewhat of a rarity when I arrived in Cairns and this was the cheapest budget boat trip I could find, $85 dollars all in. That’s around 35 pounds for a full day at the reef, lunch and all gear included, can’t be bad hey!Well to be honest the value for money this was even shocked me, it was fabulous. We met our boat group at 7.30am and head out to the reef on this blistering hot day. I met a crazy Irish girl (as usual), who was so sea sick she had to lie in the middle of the sundeck to stop herself from throwing up. Obviously with the waves and the wind being at 30 Knots (semi strong) the boat did rock and she kept rolling from side to side. Classically funny to watch her try to stay in one place!The Outer Reef is about 2 hours from Cairns and the second you see it, you can see the contrast between the blue ocean and the green reef below. It’s Beautiful, like nothing I had seen anywhere up the coast, or anywhere in the world. I couldn’t wait to dive in and find Nemo!Now the wind made it a challenge to snorkel but I was extremely determined that it wouldn’t hinder this experience for me, and it didn’t. Powering on the second I reached the reef fully kitted out with snorkel and fins, I was struck by its vastness and amount of life. The difference colours of coral and shapes too, from Stick Coral to Amenities were striking. And the shoals of fish everywhere you turned were of such interest I could’ve stayed underwater for hours. And in fact I was there for over an hour and a half. Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming.Julian stumbled across a cod fish hiding in the coral that was huge, probably a good 3 ft. There were Zebra Fish, Blue Fish, Giant Clams, and Starfish etc… The experience was stunning.Then came one of two highlights, bubbles started to come up below me, s*** a shark! I thought as something shot underneath and past my leg at speed...As I looked below through the crystal blue ocean, I couldn’t see anything, something definitely brushed my leg! I swam a little further, tiring slightly from the waves and currant. And suddenly something was pulling at my leg…This is it say goodbye to my family, tell them I love them and as I looked below me with fear….. It was a diver instructor from the boat pulling me to tell me, we had just Found Nemo…And there he was Nemo, flittering in and out of the Amenity, just like in the film. I dived down to get a better shot, and as I reached the little orange fish, my leg cramped, quick. Picture and then shot back up to the surface. I FOUND NEMO! That was me done for the morning, as my right leg was completely useless, with what I thought was cramp, turned out I pulled my Calf muscle – Ouch! After Lunch and relocation to another part of the reef – do you think my aching leg stopped me jumping in again? Hell No. And again this was sensational This time, not only was the reef amazing, but from nowhere two turtles swam by and started playing near the surface. I again took a hold of my pain and dived down to get a few shots with the camera, this completely knackered me out, but I got quite close…see pictures!  I also upon my painful return to the boat saw a Barracuda swimming underneath the boat, another great camera shot! This was it; I have now swum with Nemo, Dolphins and Turtles, next Whales and Sharks…well maybe when my leg heals. You have never seen anything like the Great Barrier Reef until you are there and doing it yourself. It’s an experience I will never forget and although I have seen the pictures and Holiday Programs, there’s nothing like experiencing it for yourself. Absolutely Stunning.