Swimming With The Fishes

Our second day in Lizard Island at the top of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef brought with it an exciting first for me – snorkeling.

With Voyages’ friendly (and hunky) dive pros Noel and Gareth at the helm, the ten of us joined a few other resort guests for the short drive to Blue Lagoon Beach, for a scenic boat ride to the outer reef.

This boat shuttled me to and from my first ever snorkeling adventure

It took me a little while to get the hang of breathing through my snorkel tube, but what a thrill once I did! A giant clam and dazzling rainbow of coral came into view as colorful schools of fish swam by, unfazed by the latest interlopers in their underwater universe.

Gareth pulled out a blue starfish for us to look up at close and mentioned the movie “Finding Nemo.” I was as awestruck as Dory herself to be, ahem, swimming with the fishes.

Back at the resort, while the journalists went off to do some exploring on their own, I enjoyed a leisurely dip in the pool, delighted to have it all to myself.

Later, a stroll along the sand and brief climb over the rocks rewarded me with one of the most breathtaking sunsets I’ve ever seen.

This was definitely transformative trip moment #2, as the explosion of color across the sky made me feel like anything is possible – like big dreams can and do come true. What a perfect time to rediscover this, with the big 3-5 now only a few days away.

Coming up…my long-awaited return to Sydney and climbing the legendary Harbor Bridge!