The great barrier reef

The first I went snorkelling, because the jellyfish season is starting, we had to wear stinger suits. If the jellyfish touches you, you can die if you do not receive medical care immediately. I bought an underwater camera in order to make pictures of the reef. After all the equipment was organised and put on, I went into the water and started to follow the ropes that were placed so you could hold it or pull yourself back if the current was too strong. In the beginning, I really had to get used to the breathing through the snorkel, but after a while I got used to it. The area was so beautiful: you could see a lot of colourful fishes and coral. It was sad to see that the corals were damaged a lot and bleached because of the many tourists that visit that area. I was told that other reefs a bit further were still very colourful.

After the snorkelling I went scuba diving, I had never done this before but it was a great experience. The instructors were very calm and supported you very well. You had to hold their arm the hold time to make sure you were not lost in the water. During the dive we saw a lot of other fishes, also bigger ones. During the diving the breathing was more easy than during snorkelling because you receive pure oxygen, although because of the pressure on your ears it was sometimes difficult to relieve that pressure on time.

On the main platform you could also go into the submarine boat, which was sailing along the reef and you could see the fishes and the reef through the glass bottom of the boat. During this trip I saw a turtle (as shown in the photo).

On the platform there was also a chamber underwater with glass walls so you could see all the fishes swimming by and the people snorkelling. The whole day was a great experience and I understand why it is important to preserve this beautiful part of Australia.