June 23

June 23, 2009

We boarded the Kalinda, our ship departing for the Great Barrier Reef three days ago. We snorkeled in two general use zones (blue zones) and two protected no-take zones (green zones). We spent a total of three nights and three days aboard the Kalinda. The friendly crew and amazing weather made the trip nothing less than spectacular.



Here we are snorkeling of from Phantom Island.


I can't even begin to explain the diversity of ocean life on the Great Barrier Reef. At any given moment you are surrounded by thousands of species of coral, mollusk, fish, and aquatic plants. You really have to see it to appreciate it.




On our first trip out I was fortunate to have two manta rays swim directly underneath me. I was about four feet away from them at one point and they were 10-15 feet across. They were super fast and graceful underwater. They appeared to be flying in the water.


















Between our dives, we split into groups of three and started on our research projects.

Our group was comparing the presence of clams and giant clams in Blue and Green zones of the reef. After a total of four dives it was apparent there is a difference between the blue zones and green zones of the reef. The protected zones had much more diversity and huge numbers of fish. Again, you really need to see it to appreciate it.



This clam was almost four feet across.


The amazing blue and green colors are from an algae called zooxanthellae This stuff is pretty much responsible for the most life on the reef. It also is what gives coral its amazing colors.














On our final snorkel, as soon as I jumped into the water I saw a white tipped reef shark. As soon as it saw me it swam for deeper water, but I still managed to snap a couple of photos of it. The weather was overcast, and the tide was coming in, so the water was a little murky.

















Here's one final picture of me from below.




There you have it. My three day trip to the great Barrier Reef Condensed into a few photos. It really was an indescribable experience. There's really only one thing I can say about the the Great Barrier Reef, you need to see it to appreciate it.