We took off this morning, arriving at the dock about 9 a.m. for our10 a.m. cruise out to the
Great Barrier Reef! We met Alister, our private marine biologist. He divided us into 4 groups...the groups we would be snorkeling/diving with.
It's at least a 2 hour boat ride to the pontoon where we were to hook up to dive from. About 3/4 of the way there, all of a sudden, workers started running towards the back of the boat. What we found out later, was a HUGE puff of black smoke had come out of the engine. Well, it actually was out of 1 engine, not both...however, the captain came on the loudspeaker a little later and said unfortunately, we would not make it to our destination. At first, I was totally bummed, as I know many of the group was. Chloe, Alister, and the captain started working...and we ended up stopping at Fitrzoy Island for the day. I went to Fitroy Island 5 years ago.... and also went further out like we were suppose to....and my delegation that year loved Fitzroy much more than just being out of the pontoon. Being on the island, not only did we still get to dive and snorkle, but we also were given kayaks. There was a lso a huge trampoline out in the ocean...there were trails to hike on...a swimming pool at a resort we were given access to... it was great! The beach at Fitzroy is all shells...and when the waves come in, as they go out the shells make this beautiful tinkling sound. I love it there!
From Fitzroy, we went to the night market in Cairns for a bit of shopping...last minute souvenirs, some more Tim Tams...some more Minties... definite Aussie snacks! La Porchetta was the place for our dinner...then some went to see Harry Potter!
Tomorrow... crocodiles, koalas, and more! Plus, tomorrow is our last day in Australia! It doesn't seem possible that the time has already gone by!
We are so excited to see all the photos and hear all about the amazing experiences everyone had on this trip! Sounds like Plan B worked out fine. Thank goodness.
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