It is closer to do a reef tour from Mission Beach than Cairns and there are less people going out on these tours from here.
We set off on a fast boat out to the reef which it took about an hour to get there.
Once at the reef, we were kitted out with wetsuits, flippers and snorkels ready for off. My young daughter was a bit unsure but eventually we managed to get her in holding onto her father’s shoulders who swam holding on to her in a safety ring. Our older child, on the other hand, loved it! There were safety jackets for people who can’t swim very well, or, like me, to stop my kids from trying to drown me frequently!
We paid extra for a guided tour so we saw fish like the clown loach (Nemo fish for those who don’t know!) This was a major highlight for the kids. The guides also brought from the bottom things for us to touch or hold – mainly sea cucumbers that are like giant slugs – except for the leopard one which had thrown up it’s insides (its defence mechanism) all over the guide, leaving him covered in sticky, white stuff … nice!
We had a lovely lunch and a spin around in a small boat. The staff were fantastic and took great care of the kids. My youngest, who wasn’t that keen on swimming in the sea, loved feeding the fish around the boat. This included a giant sea cod which would surface and open its giant mouth gulping the food down … amazing sight to see. This sea cod was called Dot and was pregnant at the time. There were also hundreds of other fish around, mainly reef fish which were huge and would swim purely to get the food even if you were in the water and in its way, which was a bit freaky!
It was an amazing experience seeing the coral, giant clams and all the various fish up close and personal - thoroughly worth it.
