My Trip to the World's Best Natural Treasure
Ever since I can remember I wanted to visit the Down Under, particularly The Great Barrier Reef. I had always been curious to know what that side of the world looked like and Finding Nemo did not seem to settle my curiosity. Then finally the summer came, when my family and I decided to take the 24 hour flight to this faraway land.
After a splendid week in Sydney, we arrived in Palm Cove, Cairns in the north of Queensland. The next day we took a boat trip out into the Great Barrier Reef, where I finally saw what can only be described as the most beautiful natural place on this Earth. The feeling was surreal as we moved further away from land and were grasped into the blissful sight of the Reef. I could see the colour beyond the translucent water and waited impatiently until we reached the platform so that I could begin my adventure. I excitedly placed my snorkelling gear on and immediately went off to explore.
The second I put my head under the water I was stunned. I had seen pictures of the Reef before but they did not do justice to what was in front of my site at this point. I was surrounded by the most marvellously coloured fishes of all different sizes and shapes and felt completely engulfed into their world. The bountiful collection of coral was like nothing I had ever observed before. I studied the marine life with admiration and came across a very strange-looking creature buried in some sand, which to me looked like a large worm with spikes. I later learned it was a sea cucumber. Nonetheless I was happy about my discovery as it's not everyday one comes across a sea cucumber. I continued to notice all sorts of odd organisms in the Reef and although I had no idea what they were, it was more spectacular than anything I had ever seen on a day out at the zoo.
However, the best surprise was on our trip back. It came to our attention that a large black and white object was floating in the distance behind us. As it became clearer, we realised it was a humpback whale! Soon after it was rising above the sea as if to jump into the air and then diving back into the deep blue water. It was the most magnificent site and oddly it seemed as if the whale was intentionally putting on a show and we were all almost sure that we could see its fin waving at us.
As I reflected back on my day, I felt a great deal of satisfaction as I realised I had just lived out one of the best possible days to experience on this Earth. Whether I will get the chance again, I don't know, but I was more than happy to know that I had seen the world's best natural treasure.
Naveena Jawanda
