I have always been excited by the prospect and surprised by the beauty of the undersea world, whether with a snorkel and mask, or with a scuba tank on my back. There is always this great anticipation, maybe mixed with a little trepidation on the way to explore a reef. And, this reef was no exception, since  the Great Barrier Reef has a reputation. For weeks Henry and I had been fielding reports of bad weather and “stingers” off Queensland. Stingers are both jellyfish and Portuguese Man-o-war, both with dangling tentacles that leave their mark and a sting. Henry and I asked Dan Stagg to find us an island outside this weather pattern, something secluded, so we could see this famous reef for ourselves. A trip to Australia, in our opinion, would have been incomplete without seeing this undersea world first hand. We managed three snorkeling adventures. The first was arranged with The Beach Club at Lizard Island. Their representative, Trina, came to our table at dinner our first night on the island. She suggested a half day snorkeling trip to the reef with others, some doing a bit of scuba diving.  The trip proved to be an amazing event off Bank’s Bank, a thirty minute boat trip offshore. Three of us, along with Jamie, our guide, entered the water with snorkels, masks and flippers, as well as lycra wet suits, just in case jellyfish should appear. The world of coral and underwater life was teaming with color and activity. There are over 2,000 species of fish and innumerable species of hard and soft coral in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Purple starfish were brought to the surface for a better look, then carefully placed again on the coral. Our guide tickled an upside down jellyfish, the fluted, transparent harmless variety, with a splash of water.  We saw a porcupine fish with huge eyes, wide face and short body hiding beneath the ledge of a reef. He was just as curious about us, and came out to look several times as we stared back. Parrot fish, Trigger fish, Angel fish, a yellow Trumpet Fish, bright neon blue Devil fish, just to name a few of the marvels we saw beneath the surface. There were lots of orange and blue striped Tiger fish, and bright yellow Clown Butterfly fish. A Crayfish, visible by the long black and white striped antennae, revealed itself by testing the waters outside its coral cave. The star of the show, as can be imagined, was the reef itself. All sorts of shapes and colors, built one upon another stacked this great wall of coral, a formidable barrier that perplexed even Captain Cook. We were introduced to new shapes and colors which we had never before seen beneath the waters of the Caribbean, our normal snorkeling and diving playground. Our guide pointed out clams that would close with her shadow, bright green turtle grass, beaked coralfish, and beautiful feather starfish, some with black feathers and orange  spines. Most striking to me were the huge, yellow-green colored rosettes of coral, juxtaposed to the mauve clusters of hard coral spikes. Enormous areas of flat plate shaped coral covered massive areas, their forms mimicking lichens on trees. Enormous, slow growing brain coral was evident here in an array of colors including yellows, lime greens, white, blue, mauve, and  golden tones. These rounded forms were part of the bedrock upon which the stacked cacophony of coral formed this formidable reef.  After an hour of swimming around in amazement, we climbed aboard the dive boat for our trip homeward, hungry for lunch. This experience was so amazing that Henry and I sought out two more snorkeling adventures on our own during our four-night stay at Lizard Island. Our next adventure was at Watson Bay, a deep bay near the lodge, with a wall of coral reefs that was stunning. Watson Bay is famous for its Clam Gardens of giant clams. Indeed, we found these creatures! Some of these huge bivalves were four feet across. I was so thrilled to see the coloring on these giants. Some of the clams were pure white. Other clams had  interiors that were a dark, velvety purple color and texture. The most outrageous detail to observe was the purple edged lip of the clam, dotted with neon green. Nature is amazing!  Our shadows must have triggered one of these huge clams to snap shut as we swam past overhead. The giant clam released a sulphur colored ink that shot upward as we swam away. On our last morning on Lizard Island, we were ferried by dingy to Mermaid Cove to experience the spectacular reef there, which is noted for its huge area of blue Staghorn coral. This coral, quick growing, is easily broken in rough seas. We were so thrilled to see quite a lot of new growth here, complete with periwinkle blue flowers on their tips. The sea life in this cove includes Parrot fish with neon blue coloration,  bright Blue Devils, Tiger fish with orange and blue stripes, and blue banded Trigger fish, all of which blended beautifully with the predominant blue color of the coral. There was an enormous variety of life in Mermaid Cove, including a well-camouflaged stingray flying away from this bed in the sand. Time flew beneath the sea, and the pleasure of seeing so much beauty made it difficult to quit our explorations. We left this paradise after consuming one last generous and delicious lunch, flying off Lizard Island, back to Cairns on the mainland for an overnight, then to Sydney, The Observatory Hotel, and the Opera.

PHOTOS: Upper Left: Henry & Jourdan aboard the Lizard Island boat on our way to Bank’s Bank. Lower Left: The Dingy that took us to Watson Bay and Mermaid Cove. Center: A shark which surfaced in Anchor Bay at Lizard Island, at the end of our first snorkeling adventure. The yellow fish were responding to bread thrown overboard. The shark was looking for crustaceans. Note the pilot fish on the shark’s back. Upper Right:. A Great Barrier coral reef viewed from the air. Lower Right:  The Beach Club at Lizard Island, headquarters for all water sports on the island. 

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                            BACK TO MAP PAGE