Who said snorkelling the reef on a rainy day was a bad idea? ~ Yesterday we enjoyed a fantastic day tour aboard Ocean Freedom, despite the grey skies and patchy rain. Boarding the boat we were greeted by friendly staff, serving tea, coffee, fruit and pastries. When we arrived at Opulo Reef, the skies were still grey and some light drizzle made the glass bottom boat tour a little “wetter” than expected, but did not affect the visibility. Entering the water with fins, snorkel and mask we were amazed at the colours and type of coral.

There was plenty of time in the water before a delicious buffet lunch of prawns, chicken, smoked salmon, breads and salad was served. After lunch and due to high tide and rain, we went to our second destination which was Green Island.

This is not usually a part of the tour, but the crew wanted to make sure we had the best day despite the weather. What an excellent idea! We tendered to the island and walked through the rainforest before grabbing a beer at the bar, making sure we were back at the beach for a return tender to Ocean Freedom for the 2pm drift adventure snorkel. This guided tour was brilliant. More amazing coral and so many brightly coloured fish, with the guide telling us interesting things about coral, clams, sea cucumbers and fish. We did not even notice that it was raining again and it did not affect our tour or snorkel at all.

Back on the boat, a final headcount was done before we departed Green Island to return to Cairns with an amazing cheese, fruit and crackers platter restoring our energy. En route, we slowed to see some whales (unexpected and brilliant!) and then continued back to Cairns, where it was still raining. All in all, it was a brilliant day out. We did not even notice the rain and the grey skies did not dampen the experience at all. A great crew who love their jobs and went the extra mile to ensure all guests had a great day out! Could not fault this experience – good value for money.