Australia is a beautiful country full of natural wonders that provide for endless breath-taking adventures. During my time here, I have come to realize how well this country works with the environment and the abundant natural wonders that makes this place so special. Australians do not exploit the environment solely for pleasure, but actively work with it to provide sustainable experiences for tourists from all over the world. I saw this first hand when I visited the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns one weekend. Cairns is a small coastal city in the tropical northeast territory of Queensland. The warm blue waters surrounding the city provide spectacular views and serve as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. A group of friends and I booked a scuba diving adventure to explore the reef with the boat Ocean Freedom. Ocean Freedom is just one of the many boats that dock in the bay of Cairns and offers tours of the reef through snorkeling and scuba diving experiences. Once we boarded the ship and took some motion sickness pills, the crew had us look over and sign safety waivers to guarantee that we were capable of scuba diving. After an hour seminar from one of the scuba instructors, I found out why. The underwater pressure we would subject our bodies to could cause serious injuries if we did not follow the instructions provided carefully. The crew taught us how to adjust to the underwater pressure (by holding your nose and blowing out slowly as if to pop your ears), how to breathe through the scuba respirator, and different hand signals that we could use to notify the instructor if we were uncomfortable. After this tutorial, our group of four was outfitted with wetsuits, masks, oxygen tanks, and flippers. One by one we penguin waddled to the edge of the boat and jumped off the back into the clear ocean water below. We were paired off with an instructor who helped us get use to the respirator and adjust our masks. Breathing was scary at first and I started to hyperventilate before the instructor showed me how to take deep and consistent breaths. We were told to hold onto a metal beam attached a few meters below the boat to practice breathing, clearing the mask, and our hand signals. Once we were comfortable, we locked arms with the instructor and plunged into the depths. The boat was anchored in a shallow part of the reef and immediately we were surrounded by thousands of fish of all shapes and sizes. The expansive reef spread out in pockets beneath us as we drifted with the currents of the ocean. The fish paid us no mind as we drifted above and through their home, soaking in the natural beauty of the reef. The instructor put his thumb to his nose and wiggled his fingers, signaling to us that there were clown fish right ahead. Sure enough I saw what reminded me of Nemo and his dad floating in a nearby sea anemone that was lodged on a large piece of coral. I found out from one of the instructors that clown fish are able to live in the sea anemone by building up a layer of mucus to protect it from the toxin. The clownfish feeds on leftovers from the anemone while simultaneously cleaning it. A few minutes later a large sea turtle floated past. We even saw a shark lurking in the murky depths a few meters away from the outreach of the coral. After the 25-minute scuba dive, we spent the rest of the day snorkeling and swimming through several parts of the reef. The boat would anchor just outside a large collection of coral and we could swim through and around the coral, as long as we did not touch anything. This was awesome because the waves provided natural sand bars, allowing us to wade through ankle deep water or dive deep and swim with the fish. The flippers provided allowed us to swim with the fastest fish, creating a surreal experience.
Floating through this reef, the largest living thing on earth, I felt truly small and insignificant. This massive reef has been living and providing life for thousands of different species for thousands of years. It is one of the most diverse environments on the planet and can even be seen from space. This was an amazing experience that I will forever remember. However, it was sad to see many of the corals were “bleached” or dying. Many patches of the coral were bleached and could no longer sustain life. The crew of the Ocean Freedom explained that this was due to the rising acidity and temperature of the ocean. The Australian government and companies like the Ocean Freedom are actively working to protect the health of the reef and the thousands of organisms it supports by educating the public and implementing many preservation methods.
The importance of preserving the Great Barrier Reef was further made evident by the information provided by the crew of the Ocean Freedom. While cruising through the reef, we were encouraged to do our part to preserve this natural beauty by make small changes to our daily lives and habits. For example, deciding not to use plastic bags when shopping protects certain animals living in the reef. Plastic bags often find their way to the ocean from landfills. They float through the waves, resembling jellyfish – a favorite food for sea turtles. This often leads to painful deaths and suffering for these turtles. Although tackling climate change is the overall challenge in preserving the Great Barrier Reef, I learned that I could do my part by eliminating my use of plastic bags and taking reusable bags to the grocery store or simply using by backpack to carry items. I will never forget this experience and I hope that our generation can implement measures to preserve the Great Barrier Reef for years to come.
