A name with the word “great” always gives cache. The Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. Because that “great” not only says that it is the largest or whatever it is, it also makes it clear that size matters . Humans are like that, if we can go see the great Buddha of Leshan we are not going to settle for a smaller one. Marketing? Maybe yes, but also a little lack of imagination. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest, yes, so much so that it is difficult to place it on a map.
The great barrier reef, that great unknown
About 2,600 kilometers long –as long as the Wild Atlantic Way has, it has nothing to do with it but we found it curious, since we recently wrote about it– and an area of almost 350,000 km2 –a little less than that of Germany–. With these figures it is evident that it deserves the adjective “great”. Now, where is he hiding? Because, with that size, it should be visible –and, apparently, it is– even from space… but not on maps.
That was our first “stage” at the time we decided we were going to visit the Great Barrier Reef: putting it on a map .
Where is the great barrier reef
OKAY. The Great Barrier Reef is in Oceania . Great find. If we zoomed in closer – like a movie zooming in on a map – we would see Australia. We continue without giving any news. Closer still, we would focus on the northeast of Australia , on the coastline that runs from Cairns to Hervey Bay – north of Brisbane.
Image: Google Maps
So yes, we already knew where the Great Barrier Reef was , and that we would have to buy one more plane ticket to get there from Sydney.
How to get there: Excursions on the Great Barrier Reef
Once you are on the Australian northeast coast, you have to reach the Great Barrier . No, it cannot be seen from the shore, nor can it be reached by swimming – not only because the sea is full of sharks, jellyfish and water crocodiles, but also because it is far away. You will have to hire excursions that take you to the Great Barrier Reef, either from above –plane, helicopter, balloon…–, sailing –tours in a semi-submerged boat, with a transparent hull…–, swimming –snorkeling in the surroundings of the islands– or diving. Which to choose? It depends on what you want to do, now I tell you.
Great Barrier Reef wildlife including sharks
Thanks to Finding Nemo, everyone knows that in the Great Barrier Reef there are clown fish, blue surgeon fish –yes, Dori is a blue surgeon fish–, hammerhead sharks , great white sharks, sea turtles, eagle rays , jellyfish, barracudas … But the ones you see there are much prettier than the cartoon ones, although also a bit more dangerous.
We came across a few of them, some of them we saw and others saw us but not us: diving in the SS Yongala they told us that, along with our group, there were a couple of bull sharks that we didn’t see… almost better .
What to do: Excursions on the Great Barrier Reef
You may be thinking: I travel on my own, on my own, without agencies, without ties … So do we, but reaching an area in the middle of the ocean is not something you can do on your own. You can’t hitchhike a crocodile on the beach, or row an inflatable boat there. That’s not to mention that we humans don’t get along with flying.
The only thing you can do to get there, see or touch – eye, touch the water, don’t touch the corals or the fish – this wonder is to book an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef . Life is like that… and, in Australia, in addition to that, it’s expensive.
Fly over the Great Barrier Reef
If you haven’t fully assimilated what a coral reef almost as big as Germany is, the best thing you can do is to see it from high above. Since going to space to see it is not within everyone’s reach, the best option is to fly over it. The fundamental thing is not to be afraid of flying because, as in the Nazca lines, the flight is done in small planes and helicopters .
In our case we did it by plane from Cairns airport . The excursions vary in price according to the duration of the tour –30, 40, 45 or 60 minutes, depending on the passenger’s preference. I have to say that, if I had a bad time at the Nazca lines because I almost got dizzy, on the flight over the Great Barrier Reef I had no problem . What’s more, given that the pilot and co-pilot were taking photos with their mobile phones, we also took them and published them live on Twitter. Prices range from 110 to 170 euros more or less by plane, helicopter flights are much more expensive. There is even skydiving for brave.
Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
First of all, to say that our dive was not surrounded by corals and little fish. We wanted to do it, but we discovered that very close to the great barrier reefs is the SS Yongala , a wreck with 101 years of history that is considered among the 10 best dives in the world . So, to the Yongala we went.
The experience was bittersweet. The boat trip to the wreck area was complicated by the waves, but the waiting time between the first and second dives was an ordeal. We both got seasick and almost couldn’t jump back into the water. Note: when you are completely seasick on a boat, jumping into the water is the best option: everything stops. Sure, if it’s on a dive boat and you’re wearing the gear.
In the water it was wonderful: schools of barracudas and giant manta rays and, as I mentioned before, there were also a couple of bull sharks that we did not see, luckily. We don’t know what would have happened to our stomachs if we had noticed, because it’s one thing to get into a cage in South Africa to see the great white shark and another to be next to a shark without a cage… Finally, the SS Yongala appeared as if peeking out from the waters with all her history and her life –when ships sink they become cemeteries, if there were passengers or crew inside, but also in places where marine life explodes– .
It is not an easy dive – PADI Open Water certification is required – and it is not very cheap either (about €180 per person) but it is worth it. Places are limited , it is within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
If you too want to experience it, check out Great Barrier Reef Scuba Diving from Port Douglas here or Great Barrier Reef Discovery Scuba Diving from Cairns here .
Whitsunday Islands and Lady Musgrave Islands, Great Barrier Reef Snorkeling
We wanted to swim among corals and we didn’t stay with the desire either. There are boat trips through the Great Barrier Reef to see the bottoms with transparent hulls but nothing like feeling the water on your skin to live the experience.
We experienced it first in the Whitsunday Islands , a small archipelago of islands with beaches of the whitest sand we have ever seen: pure silica. There we enjoyed a boat ride, a tour of the island, a barbecue – something very Australian – and the waters of Whitehaven Beach . It was very good but we were not entirely satisfied with the brown color of the corals… The Great Barrier Reef is in danger : the quality of the water, spills from ships, global warming… are damaging it. Anyway, there were the clown fish and many others.
As we were left with the desire for colors, the next day we went by bus to Agnes Water to visit Lady Musgrave Island in the South Reef . There we do find colors, life, the beach… even a turtle. It was a little more expensive (around €140 ) but we got rid of the thorn that had stuck in us the day before.
Snorkeling among the corals is priceless, what is priceless are the excursions… here you can see one from Cairns and here one that includes a helicopter flight.
Multi-Day Great Barrier Reef Tours
If you want to see it from top to bottom and from bottom to top, you will need more than one day. We have already said that it is “great” for a reason. How about spending three days touring the Great Barrier Reef? Take a look at a day trip from Brisbane here. You can also do it from the Gold Coast, here, and from the Sunshine Coast, here.
It is clear that the Great Barrier Reef can be seen in every way possible : tours from the air, from the water and from under the water there are many to choose from. None cheap… but no one said Australia was .
