Great Barrier Reef

On the trip to a few of the reefs on the Great Barrier Reef (also known as the Coral Sea), it would be a trip that will live forever.  As I was trying to learn scuba diving, I was very frightened by being submersed underwater.  I did calm down though, and was able to breathe normally underwater.  I could not dive due to pressure in my sinuses and could not relieve pressure in my ears (make them pop).  

 

The areas that the group and I went to were excellent for both snorkeling and scuba diving.  In total, we went to two different sections of the Great Barrier Reef.  One was more of a plateau while the other had more of a dividing range with smaller and spotted coral reefs.  The plateau reef was colorful, full of oranges, greens, browns, and many other colors.  The spotted coral reefs had some green, but also some grey.  The coral, anemone, and other plant life jutted out from below.  If someone did a topographical section of a reef, it would have multiple elevations and depressions.  I guess one could call it an underwater metropolis.  The waves were high and choppy, which made the snorkeling and riding between reefs tough.  I saw two giant fish that were probably 3 feet long and over a foot high.  The different types of fish were enjoyable to see as well, since many of them I have never seen before.

All and all, it was an experience that could not be matched.  We were fed both breakfast and lunch with our excursion to the reef.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I have a strong feeling the rest of the group did as well.  It was one thing to see pictures of the Great Barrier Reef; it is another to see it firsthand.