Growing up near the beach I have a pretty strong love for the ocean.
During the warm months we’d be in the sea every afternoon after school, and we’d be punished with beach runs at netball training in the winter. I love the ocean and all things marine. Lucky for me, I just happen to reside in the country home to the worlds most spectacular coral reef.
At over 2000km in length and home to nearly 3000 individual reefs there is no surprise the Great Barrier Reef is of the world’s Seven Natural Wonders. In a bid to escape the awful Victorian weather I made a winter trip to the always sunny Cairns to visit the Great Barrier Reef for the first time.
Planning the trip
After choosing my dates – smack bang in the middle of Winter – the next step was deciding what to do. Since I was travelling alone, I knew I wanted to book onto a tour, it would be the most social and least stressful way to travel. Additionally, I knew I wanted to make the absolute most of my time on the reef with a liveaboard tour.
What is Liveaboard?
Well, for the duration of the tour we stayed overnight on the boat. This meant we were able to reach further reefs than single day tours and that diving time was optimized! After all, if you’re already on the water you can quite literally dive right in!
Who can Liveaboard?
Though I’m a confident swimmer I’ve only dived a few times and although I was excited by the prospect of a liveaboard experience I was concerned I wouldn’t be an experienced enough diver. Much to my excitement though these types of tours cater for both experienced and new divers/snorkelers.
The crew on board were incredibly knowledgeable and were more than happy to answer all our questions. The added benefit of being with the same group and instructors for a few days was being able to ask those questions you forgot to the day before and get to know them and their stories of the reef better.The BIG concern – Sea Sickness.
I’m quite prone to travel sickness won’t lie by saying I wasn’t nervous to sleep on a boat. Much to my surprise the boat was stable, and the facilities were better than I imagined they’d be. The cabins had great views of the reef, the bathroom was clean, toiletries were provided, plus we had delicious local produce and seafood dinners. You could even soak in the view of the Great Barrier Reef with a cocktail from the on-board bar! It. Was. Bliss.
I’ve never been so happy to have tried something new. I honestly can say that I don’t think there is any better way to view the Great Barrier Reef than on a Liveaboard tour.
Now that I am home I cannot stop thinking about how incredibly amazing my Great Barrier Reef experience was. If you’re even faintly considering going I cannot recommend it enough!If you’re interested in doing the same tour that I did head over to Great Barrier Reef Tours.
Tips visiting the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef Travel Guide
FAQ about the Great Barrier Reef Tours
