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Our cruise out to the Reef took about an hour, I thought the reef was closer to shore because I’m accustomed to Hawaii where you wade out in the surf to your knees and put your face in the water, and voila, fish, reef and lava. So this was a revelation, but that’s why we travel.
Mom paid extra for a bell jar kind of extension. The staff brings people down to a platform just under the water, Mom wore a bell jar that resembled an old fashion dive helmet, but allowed her to keep her hair dry and wear her glasses. There was one staff person per tourists on this project so I could leave her to the professionals and go back out snorkeling on the reef. The staff fed the fish right in front of the guests, brought sea creatures (like that nice tour guide when we took that kayak tour way back when in Hawaii). And the like. Mom had a great time and bought the video of herself having a great time, so she could prove it.
It’s always good to take those pictures and buy those videos to prove to others that you are, indeed, having a wonderful time.
The Reef is huge, vast and looks like the pictures. We were snorkeling in the Coral Sea; I mention that because I swallowed so much of it. The tour is anchored at the Agincourt Reed. The tour is set up so there are a number of things people can do, and some apparently just liked to eat lunch and nap on the air-conditioned boat. The restrooms were located on the boat, and the staff gathered up everything with them – food scraps and the like so there is little trace of man – it’s an excellent attempt at any rate.
You are asked not to pee in the water. Unlike Costa Rica where that was the only place a person could pee, was in the ocean. Younger country, younger ocean.
When the staff on a large tour boat says, “there may still be box jelly fish this far out, you may want to rent these Lycra suits” and you say “really?” “and they nod seriously and say “really” and then you notice that the staff members who need to get into the water for whatever reason, are also wearing lycra suits – albeit nicer than the rentals- you say, okay we’re renting the suits. And Michael says it was the best five dollars we ever spent because he was comfortable knowing that at least on this trip he wouldn’t be lacerated with jellyfish stingers. Not only that, I didn’t worry about extra sun block and excessive sun exposure. I also think that this is a way of covering your tourists so that anything on their skin or in their swimsuits (like detergent, sun block, perfumes, lotions) are kept to a minimum, and the way to GET the tourist to wear such an unattractive item is to frighten them with the jelly fish story. No matter. There is only one photo, I look terrible. Michael looks like a blue Popsicle because on him, a completely blue stretch suit is quite slimming.
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