Finding Nemo

The 7.05am minibus took us straight to the boat port. The bus was full but we got to go on the first trip. The girl who was driving asked where everyone was going and did various drop-offs along the way and even went back to the hostel because a girl had left her room deposit and was leaving Cairns that day.

The boat port was just like a mini airport. We didn't have the brochure with us and only had the booking form which didn't have the name of the company on so we were left looking at pictures of boats to work out which queue we were supposed to join. The Chuckle Brothers were having a similar problem and asked us which queue they were supposed to be in. We didn't have a clue as their booking form didn't give much away either.

Once the desk was opened at half past, the queue quickly died down and we were given a medical form to fill out on board. Everyone had to pile into the bottom of the ship where you had to fill out the medical questionnaire before the crew gave a very funny safety demonstration where the crew imitated aeroplane demonstrations indicating things like lifejackets and the nearest exits in a very camp manner.

After you had filled out your form, a crew member climbed over the chairs to talk you through your answers in case the activities were unsafe for you. We were both quizzed about our medication but were declared 'safe to snorkel' which was good as we would have been pretty mad to go all that way for nothing. We quickly regretted sitting by the window as it meant that we had to 'table dance' our way out when we wanted to get out as the rows of seats were about ten long! This proved to be quite tricky when the waves got quite choppy.

The boat raced off passing many of the expensive catamarans that had left a good fifteen minutes before us. In just over 90 minutes we had reached out first reef location, Saxon Reef. During the journey we had made our way up to the top deck to get our flippers and goggles. The crew member just stared at you for a few seconds before handing you a set they thought would be your size. They were usually pretty accurate. Rich was given some of the biggest flippers whereas Rach was given some tiny ones. We also hired stinger suits. It is stinger season in Australia at the moment and we've heard lots of horror stories while we have been here already so we thought it would be safe to get one. All the staff had one so we were happy to pay the $10 hire fee to avoid any nasty surprises. Most people on the boat opted for the suits as a precaution.

The stinger suit wasn't the most flattering of outfits (we looked like ninjas) and was skin tight so it took a while to get back on and off. It looked really funny but we were stinger safe so we were happy.

After a quick snorkelling talk, the snorkelers were instructed to stay on the left hand side of the back steps to avoid getting in the way of divers particularly the ones who were doing their first ever dives. Lots of people just ignored this and just jumped in wherever they wanted. Rich went first but, on checking Rach's mask, the crew thought it was still too big so she had to change it. Rach took a float in with her as they recommended it so you could get the camera stable for photos but it was really hard to even swim in the right direction let alone take photos with the sea being so choppy.

The reef looked beautiful and made the saltwater taste a little more bearable. We were allowed to explore different sections of the reef as long as we stayed within the boat boundaries. If you went outside the boundaries one of the crew members blew their whistles and told you to move back in towards the boat.

Neither of us were the best snorkelers but we had a great time exploring and looking for fish. We narrowly avoided hitting some coral with our flippers at one point. We saw some fish and other people on the boat said they saw stingers so we are glad we avoided them. The fish just swim past you as if you are just another fish in the ocean.

When the whistle was blown continuously everybody was told to come back to the boat for a head count and register. The crew counted both the people on the top and bottle deck by running up and down the boat with counters and returning to the captain with a number. Only when the numbers were correct were we allowed to leave and this took a few attempts as all the passengers were moving around the boat making it hard to count.

On the way to our second reef location we were treated to a buffet Aussie BBQ with sausages, steak, king prawns, bread and various pastas and salads. It was absolutely delicious. Later in the day they gave out watermelon and pineapple too. By the time everyone had eaten and we had another sit upstairs we had arrived at the next reef, Hastings Reef.

This time a semi-submarine was meeting the boat for people who didn't want to snorkel but we thought we would try and get some pictures instead and opted for another session of snorkelling. We don't know if we made the right decision on that one though.

Wally the Maori Wrasse fish even made an appearance for ten minutes to be fed which was a bonus as we were able to get really close to him.

There was an option to go on a helicopter ride over the reef but there were only spaces on the journey home which was really expensive so we prepared ourselves for the journey home. Everyone dried themselves off and got ready for Elvis the entertainer. Elvis was a crew member and thankfully not an Elvis impersonator. We helped ourselves to complimentary wine as well as cheese and crackers for the way home and decided to watch his show as he had been a really funny character all day.

He sang a variety of songs each relating to countries of people on the boat. He was a born entertainer and clearly loved his job. When anyone passed him he would make a comment like 'Oh glad you can join us,' or 'get a bigger towel' to a woman who just had a towel wrapped round her. It was really good fun and a nice end to the day.

We had taken nowhere near the amount of photos we wanted to but those images beneath the sea will always be in our minds. It was an amazing experience that we will never ever forget.