Dive, dive...shark!!! By megan

On Friday we went snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef!! We got up early, and went down to the marina. It took an hour an a half to get our first snorkelling site, so the boat left at half eight so we could make the most of the day.

When we got the first reef, ( the barrier reef is not one continuous reef, but lots of sections of reef) the boat stopped and I looked over the side and saw beautiful, crystal clear water.

We got our gear on, (we had to wear thin stinger suits) and started to snorkel.

As soon as you looked down, it felt like you were in the middle of Times Square as it was so busy. The coral was a burst of colour. This reef was called turtle bay, and we were luck enough to see a couple. After an hour of snorkelling, we got back on the boat and sailed to the next reef. Our marine biologist, Alisha, gave us a tour of this reef. We saw...a reef shark, a cuttle fish, a cousin of nemo (red with a stripe instead of bright orange; apparently not many sites have true nemos left as the popularity of the film meant that many were taken and sold) and a giant clam, as well as loads of other colourful fish of all shapes and sizes. The clam had green sensors around its opening, so if a shadow passed over it, it would close. Alisha dived down and showed us this in action!! I enjoyed doing surface dives to get closer to the coral and fish. We continued to snorkel until it was time to go back to the boat for lunch. As we ate, we headed to the 3rd and final reef called opal reef. Emma and I were first off the boat, and straight away we saw at least ten sea cucumbers. Alisha dived down and brought one up for us to see and touch. The sea cucumber opens and closes its bum; the perfect home for a fish, so some actually live inside!! We spotted another giant clam, and Emma and I took turns diving down and making it close. All too soon we had to get back on the boat to head home.

On the way home, we sat on the bow of the boat. My mum and I saw a dolphin popping up a couple of times just as the sun was starting to set. (It was too quick to photograph unfortunately; we had better get some photos on dolphins on Emma's birthday!!)

I loved snorkelling, and would definitely do it again.