He says: The Great Barrier Reef was a large reason why I wanted to visit Australia. I've always been intrigued by the beauty of the the reef in photos and wondered whether it was as great when seen in person.

The whether was supposed to be sunny and warm, however when we arrived in Port Douglas it was windy and cloudy. We grabbed the first tender to shore and our boat was rocking in the waves. With a further 90 minute ride out to the reef, Shauna and I knew we were in for a rough day at sea. As soon as we boarded the Calypso, which was our tour boat out to our three snorkel sites on the reef, we were informed by the crew that it would be a bumpy ride. We were offered anti-nausea meds (we both passed) and were shown the "spew" bags that could be used if needed. It wasn't long before we were out on the water and the swells began washing our boat. Soon after passengers on board began vomiting at a vigorous pace. It seemed like one by one people were making there way to the back of the boat to lose their lunch. Luckily, neither Shauna nor I fell victim to the rollicking seas. During our journey to the reef we were lucky enough to see several whales bouncing around the ocean. It was pretty great.

Once we reached our first site it was clear it was worth the trip. Despite initially having some problems with water in my snorkel and mask because of the rough seas, once I reached the reef the coral and the fish were unreal. Over the course of the day we saw two other sites of equal beauty, swam with a turtle, and learned more about the beauty of the reef.

Our way home was equally choppy with more spew bags being used by other passengers. Again, Shauna and I were spared, but felt for the others who weren't so lucky. Another highlight was the German family on board who must have thought that everyone else would enjoy seeing their tighty whitey underwear while they changed. It was an odd sight that made people feel uncomfortable.

All in all the reef lived up to expectations, and well worth a visit if you're in the Queensland region.