the reef.

one cannot got to australia and not see the great barrier reef.  lucky for jim and i, that meant that we got to do a tour again that most people only do once in a lifetime, if that.  

i love this excursion.  the people at cruise whitsundays are really nice and knowledgeabe, and it's just a great way to spend a day on the water while seeing some beautiful marine life.    

we started the day with a breakfast sandwich from the dock... it was delicious!  we were still talking about this breakfast sandwich days later.  

the tour takes us to hamilton island first to pick up guests from the island.  when we pulled up, there were tons of sailboats in the water.  apparently, the audi race was going on that weekend and their last race was that day.  made for some great scenery...

if you look closely, in the picture below, there is a whale smack dab in the middle of the photo and smack dab in the middle ALL THOSE BOATS!  crazy...

so, after a 2 hour ride out to the reef, we arrived at the pontoon.

my dad, jim and i decided to dive.  dad hasn't dived since 1978!!!!  but he was a pro and the guides said you never would have guessed!

diving isn't really pam's thing.  she has tried it, but just can't get used to breathing while under water.  who can blame her... it's not natural!  but she snorkeled the reef on her own and then i joined her after our dive because i think there are great aspects to diving and snorkeling.  not to mention, i am able to take photos while snorkeling and here are some of my favorites for your viewing pleasure:

nemo!!!!

it's hard to tell, but that is pam snorkeling...

and this photo is me...

the photo below is the area under the pontoon.  there are TONS of fish that have made this home.

then, on our journey home the boat got really close to a couple of whales.  it was amazing and i even got a video... as always, i apologize for my bad video taking skills, but this one is worth watching.

there is nothing better than being on the water at dusk.

after the reef tour, one of jim's friends {bevin} wanted to show us his new apartment in airlie.  while we were there, some wild cockatoos approached us and bevin gave us some bread and crackers to feed them.  they were so gentle and sweet.  loved it!

it was a nice topper to an already great day!