great barrier reef

Robbie's parents arrived in Brisbane on December 2nd. We were so happy to see them and be able to spend two whole weeks with them. Robbie and his dad are scuba certified and so he waited for his dad/dive buddy to experience the Great Barrier Reef. After an unsuccessful attempt to dive out of 1770 (due to torrential downpours), we decided to try a jaunt to Lady Elliot Island.

We flew to the tiny island on an eight-passenger puddle jumper airplane. We only flew about 600 feet and it took about 35 minutes to get there. We landed on a grass runway. Here's a view of the island from the window of the plane:

We spent the day diving and snorkeling. The coral went as far as the eye could see. There were enormous schools of colorful fish. We saw beautiful starfish. The best part, though, was the sea turtles. We swam with them and got to touch the back of their shells. They're amazing creatures; they swim so gracefully. I learned that the sea turtles always go back to the same beach on which they were hatched to lay their own eggs as an adult. It was an unforgettable experience being so close to them in the wild. Here's a shot of a sea turtle coming up to the surface for air:

This is a photo of the glass bottomed boat that took us out snorkeling (can you believe that blue water?!?!) :