2018 SDSU Australia : Day 8

Today was a fun-filled day that involved swimming, fish, and shopping! We started out getting up bright and early ready for our next adventure. We took a walk around Cairns to try and find some breakfast. A few found a small market, and the rest of us found, of course, Macca’s (McDonalds). We wanted to eat a small breakfast however, because we were in for quite the treat.

Lexi getting ready to jump into the ocean

Our adventure for the day was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. We got to the pier a little early and managed to sneak in some shopping. Then we gathered the group and headed to the boat. We were the first group there and it seemed like smooth sailing. Things began to get a little rocky as we headed out further into the water. The weather was a little less than ideal. It was slightly rainy and the winds had picked up pretty quick. It almost felt like being back in South Dakota, apart from the ocean. These big winds caused a “little” wave storm to bless our travels to the reef. Per our advisor’s advice, we sat towards the back of the boat. Everything was fine until we realized that the back was where the sea sick people went to try to get some relief from the waves with their doggie bags in hand. Pretty soon, there were a lot of people running towards us. But, before you knew it, we were at the reef!

Kirsten, Hanna, Ashley and Lexi on the platform taking a break

We got a quick introduction on how it would all work. We could go snorkeling, scuba diving, or go on a glass bottom boat. While we were all still trying to get our sea legs, we suited up in Lycra wetsuits to protect ourselves from the “stingers” (jellyfish).

Tammy and Callie snorkeling

In true jackrabbit fashion we hopped right in and saw some beautiful sites.

Ashley strikes a pose for the underwater camera

We were stationed on a platform that was right around a part of the reef that housed many different varieties of fish including the pet fish, Wally. He is a big Maori Wrasse fish that loves to get attention. Many of us got our pictures with Wally.

There was a photographer to take pictures of us with Wally

We also were able to rent an underwater camera thanks to our advisors. We enjoyed taking it around and gathering as many pictures as we could. Once we were done with the 5 hour break on the reef, we boarded the boat to come back to the shore. The ride back was a lot smoother because of the direction of the wind.

This is a parrot fish – one of the many colorful fish on the reef

When we got back we had the freedom to do what we wanted. Most of us got cleaned up, ate some food, and went shopping. What a great way to end a great day!