Wandering Aidan: THREE days in one post!

Sorry about the lack of posting for the past three days- my parents have kept me very busy.

Monday

Monday was mostly a travel day. We traveled from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide, and then from there to Cairns. These flights covered a bit more distance than a flight from Miami to Boston.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, we took a boat out to one of the Low Isles, two islands along the inner portion of the Great Barrier Reef. We went snorkeling along the reef, but were hindered by one teeny factor- the water was extremely, excruciatingly, icicles-piercing-your-skin COLD. My parents, ever the superheros, didn't seem to mind, but I was shivering from the start. However, we did see some very interesting aquatic wildlife. Despite all the fascinating fish, one of our best experiences was when a shark swam past not ten feet away from us. The best part is, we were just wading in shallow water when it happened!

We were offered Lycra suits, slick black suits that protected us from stingers and the sun.
Of course, the black was hot in the already warm sun. Why couldn't they be light gray, or perhaps a
nice shade of blue?

Wednesday- today

Mom didn't puke on the boat ride yesterday, so today we decided to go farther, to the Outer Reef. It was a similar experience, but with two main differences: one, the boat docked at a floating, artificial platform instead of an island. Two, thanks to a last-minute wetsuit purchase, I was a lot warmer.

We also took two tours on a semi-submersible ship. On the tour, people sat in the submersed part of the ship, where the walls were primarily glass. The ship moved along slowly, allowing you to view the aquatic life. And boy, did we view some aquatic life. Some of the best sightings included a white-tipped reef shark, two turtles and a barracuda.

Wildlife report:

Pelicans