The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef has absolutely been the highlight of my trip so far. We took a boat out two and a half hours into the middle of the ocean. Randomly, you see this tiny island just full of birds, sand, and some grass on the top. I never would have pictured the reef to be set up in the middle of the ocean, with a little island as the center piece. The boat dropped us off on shore and we got to snorkel out as far as the reef went. It was so incredible. The ocean water was a bright blue color that I have never seen before. I was used to seeing brown, dirty lake water back in the states. Everyone was in complete shock at how amazingly beautiful this really was. We snorkeled and also scuba dived all day and it never got old. There were tons of different fish and we also saw a sea turtle up close, and a couple stingray. The sharks that are out there in the reef are actually scared of humans, so we didn't get to see any up close. On the boat they also served us an entire buffet meal which was very good. All of the food here tastes a tiny bit different in some way or another. Everything from the bread, to beef tastes so different yet the same. It's hard to describe really unless you try it. Also, on the boat, there were tons of fish that would swim up on the side of the boat and pretty much circle it. Some of us started throwing bread crumbs over the side and the fish went crazy! It was like they have never ate anything before. It was so funny to watch because every time we threw a piece out, more fish would come. It was quite entertaining. We went to two different locations when we saw the Great Barrier Reef. One was the island as I talked about before, but the second location was literally in the center of the ocean. There was really no way of telling that it was part of the reef unless you were in control of the boat and actually knew. The water was still very blue, but you could tell that the water was a lot deeper. We then jumped out of the back of the boat and snorkeled in the middle of the huge ocean. It was amazing to look around and see nothing but water. The second location was even better than the first. The coral and everything was brighter and a lot bigger. I couldn't believe that it was actually in front of me. On the boat ride home, the scenery was also amazing. All you could see was mountains in the distance and the ocean surrounding it. I didn't stop looking for the whole two hour ride back. A bunch of us girls still say that we can't even believe we were just at the reef. It seriously doesn't feel that we just saw one of the seven wonders of the world.