The Great Barrier Reef is home to more than 1,600 species of fish and 600 types of coral. If you’re scratching your head trying to identify them, Pure Snorkelling Adventures in Cairns can help.
The reef cruise company has just launched marine biologist-led reef brief sessions to give snorkellers the lowdown on what they can expect to see before they jump overboard. Billed as the only marine biology presentation available to day-trippers in Cairns before they cruise to the reef, the 30-minute reef talk gives snorkellers an introduction to life below the water line.
Marine biologist Kiara Brown provides the interactive talk each morning before the cruise departs for the outer Great Barrier Reef. “We take our guests to spectacular Briggs Reef, 24 nautical miles south-east of Cairns, which boasts extraordinary coral cover,” Brown says. “Our talk also helps guests to understand the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem and the importance of reef conservation before they join the marine biologist snorkelling on the reef.”
Snorkellers can expect to see masses of hard and soft corals, flowery cod, wrasses, parrot fish, clownfish (Nemos) and maybe even an epaulette shark and humphead Maori wrasse.
