OK, let’s give it one more try. I woke early, in order to be
ready for the 6:30 am swim. It was barely getting light when we got ready, and
I confess I stepped into the water with a sense of trepidation. And then, like
magic, everything went as smooth and sweet as I have always known snorkeling to
be. My hypothesis is that the swell was a bit too strong yesterday, so I got a
few waves to break over me and flood my snorkel. No problems whatsoever today.
Seeing the sun rise over the reef, with your head submerged
in the water, is a glorious spectacle. The different corals light up as instruments
coming in into a symphony, and dull fish turn on into their brilliant day
colors. I was particularly impressed by the staghorn corals, who look like a
pile of deer and elk horns jumbled together; I had assumed they were an uninteresting
bone color, but no. Only the abandoned parts are bone colored; the live
portions are a vivid blue (these are the corals I mentioned appeared to have imploded
to litter the reef floor with their pieces; I suspect they are fast growing but
fragile corals that get easily thrashed during storms, only to provide a substrate
in which other corals can grow).
During breakfast (very yummy) we moved to another part of
Sexton reef, Twin Peaks, and I went for a second swim, which was just as good
as the first one. I am now reconciled with the Great Barrier Reef.
Everyone in the staff has been great, but the greatest
accolade must go to our chef, who last night served a delicious meal of slow roasted
pork chops, and today prepared a fabulous plate of grilled fish, chips, tartar
sauce, and a fancy quinoa and arugula salad. And he did this for 110 people,
because we had our group and a new group overlapping.
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