Today was the day that I was finally able to snorkel and explore the world's largest living formation that can be seen from outer space - the Great Barrier Reef. Now, I was disappointed that I wasn't able to scuba dive because of my asthma, but I was able to see so many interesting fish and coral just by being on the surface. The parrotfish were plenty in number, gnawing away at the coral. And the coral! So large and intricate and colorful. I even saw a piece that represented good 'ole EC - purple and gold. Another thing that I hadn't seen when I was snorkeling in the Galapagos last year was the giant clam. Their name suits them well - they are GIANT. Although I was told that they cannot chop your arm off, it really looked like it could. Seeing them embedded in the coral was also interesting and not something I expected. Those clams were a little bit smaller and opened much more often. My personal favorite encounter, which only lasted all of 15 seconds, was with a squid. Like Deb, our instructor at Reef Teach said, they are exceptionally inquisitive. The little guy swam right up to me and looked at me with his big eyes, trying to figure out just what I was. The current pushed me and him apart, so I was only able to see him for a few seconds. Even though it was such as short amount of time, seeing a squid up close and personal was definitely something to add to the books. =)
Shelby
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