Ahhh... The Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It's a hectic two-hour boat ride away from Cairns, but when you get there, the water is calm and warm, and there is an abundance of sea life. Notice on the right in the background there is a line of waves that border the reef. It's interesting to see waves without a beach.

Here we are on the ship we lived aboard for two days.

Yes, after five dives in two days, we officially became PADI certified divers!

I found it pretty incredible that the fish aren't scared of humans. They swim all around you here, it's really amazing.

There's interesting plant life here as well...

The zebra-patterned fish were one of my favorites. Luckily we have a half-hour video tape of our class that is much clearer than these pictures I took.