I saw Nemo today. I swam with the fish, and it was good. Lucked out on the tour today and even did a bit of scuba diving down where all the good stuff is. The real reason we came to Cairns was to swim around in the Great Barrier Reef, and we chose a great day to do it.

Much like Sydney, this neck of the woods has been covered in clouds for weeks, and yesterday was their first good day they have had in ages. Today was even better. Perfect conditions to pop onto a boat and drive out to the coral.

The reefs are very impressive. The coral, protected from the direct waves of the Pacific, is alive and thriving. There are scores of different types that wave beautifully back and forth in the tide. In and around this are a bounty of colorful fish. I think I even saw a cute little, about three feet long, reef shark at the end of the day. Don't quote me on that, however.

Scuba is really the way to go. It feels just like you are snorkeling, except you don't have to worry about water going into your blowhole. Just breath calmly, pop your ears frequently, and basically you are good to go. That and keep your guide nearby. I could swim right up to everything, so I could look into the meter wide century old clam, swim right up and close for a picture of a couple of Nemos. Many other beautiful, colorful fish that words do not do justice.

I bought a disposable waterproof camera, so soon I will have some pictures of the reef for you to look at. Tomorrow, I figure that we are going to spend some time at a beach, then we are off on a late flight to Melbourne.

Melbourne, where it is wet, cold and shitty. Why is it that the cool towns are always in such dreadful climates?