fireworks last night,
and having a bit too much to eat 
and drink
on New Year's Eve, we pried ourselves out of bed at 6 this morning and headed 80 KM North to Port Douglas for our great Diving Adventure on the Great Barrier Reef. We chose Port Douglas as we have been told that the coral is in better shape there, and they had a great program. The road to Port Douglas is twisty and winding as it follows the coastline. There were a few magnificent stops view points along the way. 
By 9 AM we were all registered and ready to set out – then we got to wait for about a half an hour on the pier until our Catamaran was ready for us. This is a large 3 level cat that holds hundreds of people, and there were that many on board – everyone from babies, teens and a few seniors! The Cat took us to the diving platform which is about a hour and a half journey out to sea. The diving platform is basically 2 levels, the entrance level from the Cat, then the lower level where all the activity takes place.
Barb had decided to do some snorkelling, while Harry felt a dive with a diving helmet – firmly anchored was much more to his liking. However – that was later. First we went over to a submersible which rode around the reef for about 40 minutes during which time we got a good look at the amazing colors and varieties of coral,
and fish.Next stop – lunch – provided. Then onto the exciting part of the day. Due to the presence of stinging Jelly fish, it was recommended that we rent a Lycra suit – it was really funny to see everyone walking around like Blue Men. Anyway – we got our suits and Barb got her snorkel equipment and camera and took off onto the reef.
She not too badly, but did get some water up her nose, 
but all in all really enjoyed the rest of the experience. 
Then Harry 
got suited up for his adventure with the diving helmet. 
For Harry who feels less than confident, this was great. 
The instructors did a great job, and had fun feeding the fish right around the divers, so they were completely surrounded by fish. 
While Harry was out, Barb went back in and kept an eye out for him from ‘above’, then – once he was back on the diving platform she took off again to get some great shots of some fish and coral
a little further out from the platform. 
Then back onto the Cat and back to Port Douglas by 5 PM. Overall a great day! We drove back to Cairns and our hotel, spending the evening catching up on Laundry, email and the blog. We also reorganized our bags so we take minimal into the hotels each night – for tomorrow we are off South to see what Australia has to offer. We think maybe a canopy tour tomorrow just might be possible.
Happy New Year to All.
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