The following morning we awoke to pouring rain. Out to the west a cyclone was nursing its wrath. (Post script - Cyclone Dylan ripped through the Whitsundays a few days later and wrecked havoc on poor little Daydream Island.)

This was seriously bad news because this was our only opportunity to get out onto the Great Barrier Reef to do some snorkelling and see the life under the waves. Down at the wharf it was still bucketing when we boarded our catamaran. We were blackmailed into taking strong sea sickness pills before we set sail but when we cleared the harbour we saw immediately why the pills were such a hard sell. The gathering cyclone was pushing up 2 metre waves and it was an exciting ride out to Low Island where we would set up camp on the beach and spend our day snorkelling under the guidance of a marine biologist.

By the time we arrived the rain had gone off and the sky was starting to clear. We were kitted out with our masks, snorkels, fins and a fetching little suit designed to protect us from jellyfish. After some brief instructions we followed the biologist into the water and around the reef. Susan had the opportunity to have a lesson before we set off and in a few minutes she was snorkelling like a pro. The underwater sight was spectacular. We saw dozens of species of hard and soft corals, hundreds of species of fish, including the orange and white Clown fish peeping out from coral fronds. The colours were vibrant - bright reds, yellows, oranges, blues. The sea bed was totally covered in coral, it was the densest colony of coral that we have ever seem. We saw giant clams, about a metre and a half from side to side - don't put your foot in there. Luckily we didn't see sharks while we were in the water but a Lemon shark circled our boat while we were having lunch.

After we had exhausted ourselves snorkelling (there was a strong current running), we took a walk around the island and had a look at the lighthouse. We had been entrusted with a precious cargo by Pam and Hugh and decided to leave it in the branch of a tree overlooking the beach and the Great Barrier Reef.

As we got back into the tender boat, Susan suffered the minor indignity of falling backwards off the boat into the water. It was beautifully done in slow motion. 7.5 for style. I got the blame for this of course even though I wasn't in the vicinity. Apparently, I should have been there to catch her so obviously it was my fault.

The sail back to harbour was even more exciting than the outward journey. Everyone who was brave or foolish enough to sit up on deck as the waves swept over the prows was soaked to the skin.

Another mega awesome day!!