The use of a snorkel to breathe
underwater has been around for 3,000 years - there are records showing the use
of hollow reeds as breathing tubes, a far cry from the beautiful plastic and
silicone snorkels of today! Add modern materials to the production of face
masks and fins, and you have the modern snorkel kit used on the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Snorkel Gear is
included on good Reef Trips.
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| Coral Reef |
If you are a first time visitor
to the reef, it might also be your first time snorkeling. It is not hard, it
just requires a leap of faith. I reckon that those who have snorkeled well
remember when we first strapped on the mask and snorkel, put our face under the
surface, and got up the courage to do the impossible - breathe in underwater.
After that? Easy.
The Great Barrier Reef is immense - it stretches 2,600
Kms (1,600 mi) down the east coast of Queensland, contains 2,900 reefs and 900
islands. Look at a map of the Great Barrier Reef to really throw it into perspective.
Coral only increases the size of
a reef about 1 - 3 Cm (.39 - 1.2 in) a year, and it forms very fragile
ecosystems, requiring strict conservation. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
was set up in 1975 to regulate the 30 reef and 40 non-reef Bioregions that make
up the Reef, and it was created a world Heritage Site in 1981. The permanent
Great Barrier Reef marine Park Authority says where you can anchor and controls
general use.
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| The Great Barrier Reef |
Make sure you have booked a Reef Trip ahead of time - the best ones sell out
in busy periods - grab your swimming trunks and towel and head off to the Cairns Marina for a day offshore. You will have to
go about 50 Kms (30 mi) out to get to the outer Reef where the best coral is
found. Some boats go to a pontoon that is moored over the Reef in fairly open water, and some go to Sand Cays (islands)
that allow you to go ashore and snorkel from a beach as well as in deeper water.
Have a great day out on the Reef,
but don't make the mistake of leaving your camera or sunscreen back at the hotel.
Cheers,
Matt
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