Staggering.

This explains why I didn't see it when we landed. The outer reef is truly out here, it is not at all close to land. We are about 50km from the edge of the continental shelf. It took 45 minutes in a high-speed boat to get out here. Riding along, all you see is the dark, deep ocean as far as you can see. Then this shock of turquoise blue hits your eyes and you ar in 10 meters of water, floating among huge, brilliantly colored coral formations and the most spectactular fish you've ever seen. If you turn around and look back the way you came from, you cannot see the shore, even though the hills outside of Port Douglas rise steeply just inland. How anyone in good conscience could mar this is beyond me.

The water here is an unbelievable color, and crystal clear. We rode around in a semi-submersible and got up close views of the corals, saw an enormous fish they say only comes out at night. Even little Caylo enjoyed himself; the color and the fish interesting even to a 7 month old. I am so glad he's gotten to see this before it's gone.

The Great Barrier Reef was on my top ten list of things to do in my life. It was well deserved of its place and well worth the trip and the wait. What an incredible moment, and so much more than I ever thought it would be.