Reef encounter
Seeing the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef by snorkelling, diving or from a helicopter are all options on a Celebrity Cruises excursion
Here, below the sea’s surface, where the clown fish dance among the anemone, stingrays glide along the ocean floor and giant clams sit among coral, beauty meets the sublime. At roughly 6m below sea level, I’m floating in the endless blue, about 50km offshore from Cairns in Far North Queensland, at Saxon Reef, a quiet dive spot along the Great Barrier Reef.
I know 6m is not particularly deep but on this, my very first scuba dive, it feels it.
I have snorkelled various parts of the reef a handful of times and thought I knew of its beauty but down here, away from the rocking waves where it’s still and silent, it’s truly something else.
Sunlight beams over the underwater playground of living creatures, lighting up crevices, coral and the multi-coloured fish darting in and out of hidey-holes.
The water visibility and temperature is incredible thanks to this perfect winter’s day, the type Far North Queensland does so well. The deeper I go, the quieter it gets, the more aware of my body I am and the more isolated I feel.
I’m petrified of the pressure building up in my ears and sinuses. I ignore every instinct to hold my breath underwater and swim back to the safety of the surface. Instead, I let go.
“It’s something pretty special to be able to breathe underwater,” one of my fellow passengers aboard the boat said, “you’ll never go back.” She was right. I’m hooked.
If you’ve never dived before, like me, this is the perfect way to give it a go.
After a comprehensive briefing on board, explaining diving 101; how to equalise your ears, empty your mask or mouthpiece of water and learn vital hand signals, you’re split into small groups and ready to go. A guide is by your side the entire 20-minute dive and today, mine is Phill Junior (known as Junior), a marine biologist. He’s there to calm my nerves, remind me to breathe, build my confidence and keep me safe.
Our arms are linked for the duration (for safety) but after a few minutes, it feels
like nobody else is down here with me. I’m surprised how calm I actually am and how at ease I feel in the deep.
Junior points out the vibrant creatures we’re swimming with and among them are stingrays, the resident Maori wrasse who frequents the spot, known as Wally, and a pair of flute fish, often hard to find as they change colour in an instant to match their surroundings. Other divers spotted reef sharks, turtles and some even said they heard the songs of nearby whales. It doesn’t matter how many times you have been to the reef, it will never get tiresome.
After our underwater adventure, it’s time to return to the boat. I’m on board a 35m superyacht for the day with Down Under Cruise and Dive on a Gold Class Great Barrier Reef Experience offered through Celebrity Cruises.
On board, we have a private VIP lounge (seating up to eight people), stocked with snacks, cold drinks and seasickness tablets, and with an impressive panoramic view of the ocean.
It’s luxurious and comfortable but not over the top. We’re cruising for about 90 minutes from Cairns to two outer Great
Barrier Reef sites, exclusive to this boat. We have a total of five hours spent on the reef with a fresh barbecue lunch, prepared on board, to fuel up between dive sites.
Junior takes our group for a 30-minute snorkel tour, where he not only provides an incredible insight into the creatures living under the sea but a lesson in ocean conservation. Parts of the reef, we’re told, are suffering but there are certainly areas still thriving and it’s vital we continue to protect it.
To fully appreciate it’s beauty, there’s no better way to experience the reef than from the sky. And, as part of the gold class package, at the second dive location (Hastings Reef), we’re taken for a 10minute scenic helicopter flight.
Pilot Reece from Nautilus Aviation flew us over the spectacular scenes and it has to be one of the most indulgent and breathtaking ways I’ve experienced the reef. Surely this moment is rare, where you can be diving the depths of the reef, swimming among the creatures moments before flying high above them.
This full-day experience in Cairns is part of an exclusive onshore excursion you can do while on board one of Celebrity Cruises’ luxury ships, Celebrity Eclipse, during their Great Barrier Reef voyages, which next depart in November this year or February 2023. Celebrity’s MO is to ensure the five-star life continues on land with guests of the 1041ft (317m) ship able to reserve exclusive tours with the ship’s Private Journey’s team. The team is made up of what they call “Destination Insiders” – guides who draw on their local knowledge to curate a unique itinerary exclusively for you, even down to the type of transport you’d like to use (think private cars, limousines and even aircraft).
The Gold Class Great Barrier Reef Experience (mentioned above) is one example, as is the Ultimate Crocodile Adventure where you can get up close with giant saltwater crocs at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures. The options are endless in Far North Queensland, especially in the outdoors.
You don’t expect to call to mind
somewhere like Hawaii when you think of Cairns, what with its crocodiles, snakes, stingers and all the rest of its Aussie icons.
But with its dramatic coastline, rugged mountain edge and stunning rainforest, it feels like I’m in far tropical lands across the globe, not right here in Australia.
This is particularly the case as you walk into Mossman Gorge, the centre of the Daintree Rainforest. As we walk the 2.5km rainforest circuit track, crossing creeks and a suspension bridge, we’re surrounded by waterfalls, wildlife and rich plant life. After rain, the rapids are heavy and the waterfalls even more impressive.
To make the most of it, you can join one of the Dreamtime Walks where a guide takes you on a tour along private tracks to culturally significant sites and shares the local history held in the centre of the world’s oldest rainforest.
This region is one that fills your bucket to the brim. Even better, it’s on our doorstep right here in Australia.
The writer was a guest of Celebrity Cruises