For my 50th birthday (2nd trip to Australia), she planned a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We flew to Cairns and went on a sailboat with a French couple and their two children. Our first anchorage was a bit of a distance from the reef and we were both uneasy; I was on the verge of seasickness. We got in the water, and started snorkeling towards the reef, in water that was so deep you couldn't see the bottom. This made me more nervous, because you never know what will come up from the depths!
I was finally relieved when we could see the bottom, about 100' below. She, on the other hand, got more panicky. She is not fond of heights, and seeing the bottom made her feel like she might fall. She wanted to turn around and go back to the boat. I was annoyed, because we had swum a fair distance to the reef, but I went back with her.
When we got back to the boat, we were sitting on the back of the boat bobbing in the waves and my seasickness welled up. I threw up. She decided to stay on the boat, but I rinsed my mouth out and decided I'm here, I'm going to do it. I swam back to the reef alone.
The subsequent dive spots were closer to the boat, and she went snorkeling again, though accompanied by the French guy instead of me. The staff were pushing SCUBA, first tank free, so I went. It was fantastic. We spent the night on the boat and I used another tank the following day.
The water was a bit rough and she came out of the bathroom just as the boat was heaving - she pitched across the floor and smashed her nose on the dining table below deck.
One regurgitation, one smashed nose, but altogether, it was a great trip that I enjoyed immensely. Later, we spent the night up the coast in a rather posh resort that she had received a discount on. The hotel was nice, and there were some really nice hotels on the strip, but not much more there except hotels and restaurants. Also, the beach was windy and the water muddy. That combined with crocodile warnings did not make the water seem appealing at all.
We also made a road trip up to Kuranda and Barron Gorge, and explored the coffee and banana plantations up on the plateau. Beautiful country.
