In front of all those bikini clad gen z’s, I ticked the box “solid swimmer”

Swim? In ocean currents? Gulp.

In front of all those bikini clad gen z’s, I ticked the box “solid swimmer”. But now I can’t recall if it said you had to be able to swim 200 m or 200 ft.. This afternoon we are going for a guided tour of the “Great Barrier Reef”. I am highly nervous / excited right now. All the staff here highly charged 18 year olds. One young gal announced as we arrived “Get ready to party”. (We groaned). It turns out the only party animals so far are the cockatoos. They are about the size of a hen with a rooster headdress and all white. The party for them starts around 4 am and they make a hell of a racket.

I can’t think of an equivalent that we have been to in North America. It is as tropical as Mexico but not as bubble like. Large boats arrive several times in the day bringing in all the “green feers“ (day trippers). The beaches have no lounge chairs. There is a pool with a swim up bar and parents crowd there around 4:30. You have to prebook meals but I don’t believe they are aiming for a Michelin star. We were warned ahead of time and so brought a jar of peanut butter and loaf of bread. We aren’t hungry. Once a year the coral reproduces. Clearly an event here and as it turns out it is happening today. Who knew? We are booked at 6 tonight on a glass bottom boat ride to observe the event.