Today we were in Cairns (pronounced Cans), Australia a resort town that serves as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and the wet tropical Daintree and Kuranda National Parks.
Today Kully and I did separate excursions. Kully decided to join a group of friends and spend the day shopping. This is a great time for shopping in Australia it’s the end of summer here and stores are having summer close out sales…just in time for the start of summer at home. I joined a group of friends and did an independent tour with a local tour company called Great Adventures, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. The tour was amazing. We boarded a high-speed catamaran ferry that took us on a two-hour ride out to an offshore diving platform that is permanently anchored just off of the reef. The ride out and back was very comfortable and included coffee, tea and light snacks. During the ride out to the reef, videos were shown providing an overview about the reef, safety information and instructions on snorkeling. The dive platform was huge and included changing rooms, a covered area with tables, an included hot lunch, and snorkeling gear to include flotation devices and neoprene suits to protect us from Jelly Fish stings. We were on the reef for a little over three hours giving us plenty of time to snorkel. I have snorkeled in many places around the world, and this was the best. I’ll let the pictures tell the story.
Wait there are more!
Tomorrow we’re at sea, out next port of call will be Thursday Island, Australia on Sunday.
Don & Kully's World Cruise on Viking Neptune 
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