Tips To Enjoy Australia's Great Barrier Reef From Cairns And Port Douglas in Safety
In general the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef are very safe all year round. Due to the massive underwater dense coral formations the Great Barrier Reef does not experience any big surf conditions like the southern parts of Australia which is great news for those that suffer from chronic sea sickness. The Great Barrier Reef also does not have huge tidal changes where you can be swept away in big seas and currents like the southern oceans either as the 2600 plus kilometers of coral reef shelf's protect north Queensland's coastline like a barrier.
When out on the Cairns Great Barrier Reef and Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef it is always advisable to listen to the safety presentation that is given by the crew on the boats whilst journeying out to the reef from Cairns or Port Douglas.
When the crew members are conducting the head count keep yourself and your children and other family members very still and do not move about the boat.
Seasickness
If you suffer from chronic sea sickness we suggest that you visit a chemist and have them prescribe you some sea sickness tablets that you can begin to take the night before your Cairns or Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef tour to ensure the medication is in your bodies system prior to you boarding the boat for your day trip to the Great Barrier Reef.
Another thing to remember is to never lie down when you begin to show signs of seasickness, sit up straight and look out to the horizon. Advise a crew member that you do not feel well and they will get you some ice to chew on, a sick bag and some ginger tablets.
Fly over the Great Barrier Reef
If you really are scared of being seasick and having your Cairns or Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef experience totally ruined then we suggest you take a scenic helicopter flight out to a stable platform or pontoon that is moored on the reef permanently. You will fly around 500 feet above the water seeing turtles, whales, manta rays and of course the amazing coral reef structures and the tropical islands that lie just off Cairns and Port Douglas. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how economical it is to combine a scenic helicopter flight with a day out on a platform on the reef.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and you have travelled so far to see it so you cannot afford to have your whole experience ruined by seasickness or by trying to save less than $200 by taking the risk of going by boat.
If you did not want to go to a platform on the reef with other guests and you want to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef with just yourself and your partner or your family then a Seaplane may be the next best option as you can fly to a solitary coral sand cay and spend half the day snorkeling all by yourselves. Again this is not so expensive for a one off wow factor for your holiday and what better way to see the Great Barrier Reef from above and below the waters surface and not feel seasick at all?
Swimming On The Great Barrier Reef
Swimming on the Great Barrier Reef is relatively safe for everyone just as long as you are aware of your surroundings and you follow the direction of the boat crew and swim within viewing distance of the lifeguard lookouts and stay within the roped off areas around the pontoon.
If you are not such a strong swimmer then please let the crew know and they can set you up with a floatation vest or a pool noodle so that you can float around the ocean till your hearts content.
As mentioned above the Great Barrier Reef does not have any surf or great tidal changes that can whip you away out of site but just be aware of how far you do swim away from the boat or the pontoon and always keep an eye on your family members to ensure they are not stretching themselves too much.
If you do feel you are getting very tired and unable to swim anymore then lie on your back with your hand in the air and wait for a lifeguard to spot you and send the rubber ducky over to come and pick you up and return you back to the boat or pontoon platform.
Never ever panic as that makes the situation far worse. Just concentrate on floating on your back and they will be there to pick you up in no time at all.
Safe Snorkeling Tips On The Great Barrier Reef
Snorkelling is very easy and even young children two to three years old can snorkel. We have a saying here at The Tour Specialists and The Cairns Holiday Specialists that if you snore you are a natural born snorkeler as snorkelling is just a matter of breathing thru your mouth into the snorkel apparatus and not thru your nose. You could even practice breathing thru your mouth prior to your arrival in Cairns to ensure you are ready to go when you get here.
If it is quite a windy day on the reef and you are snorkeling about then you just may experience salt water invading your snorkel. If this occurs you can either push it out with a big blow without having to take your head out of the water or start to tread water and take your snorkel out of your mouth and empty the contents.
Whatever you do do not swallow the salt water as not only is it not very tasty it can make you quite ill and if you drink way too much of it you can potentially drown yourself. People that come from countries where swimming is not a natural everyday thing to do should heed these warnings. Do not keep your face down in the water and start to panic about the water in your snorkel, just lift your head up and clear the water out manually.
If you get water in your mask again do not panic just tread water and lift the bottom section of your mask to let the water out. Another way to let the water out of your mask is to push the top section or bar of your mask and it will free the bottom section and let the water escape without you having to take your mask right off. This is the preferred way to do it as it will not require as much effort as it would taking the mask completely off.
Fitting Your Mask And Snorkel
The first trick is to ensure your snorkelling mask has been put on properly and has enough suction to not allow water to seep inside and it is also important to not breathe thru your nose in your mask as you will fog up the glass.
If you are unsure of how the mask should fit then just ask a crew member to help you choose the right size snorkel for your face. For those men with big fuzzy beards and moustaches, leaking water into your masks is always a problem as you cannot get a good seal around your face.
All facial hair needs to be totally out of the way along with any fringe hair as you will not get a good seal.
For those of you that have too many laugh lines or wrinkles then the same thing applies even though at least you can stretch and move these laugh lines to get a good seal on your snorkel equipment.
Each one of the Cairns and Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef boats carry all different size masks, snorkels and fins to suit all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Marine Stingers Or Irikanji Jelly Fish Season
There is a lot of hype about with regards to Cairns and Port Douglas being a destination that has deadly Irikanji jelly fish or marine stingers. Oceans all over the world have the same marine creatures some in more places than others due to water temperatures and environment.
When a jelly fish sting occurs in other parts of the world like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Fiji or other far off places you never get to read about it in the newspapers as its not front page news because the incidences of a jelly fish sting are so rare and they never ever actually record it. However only in recent years some of our specialist jelly fish researchers like Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin are assisting these countries to put safe practices in place for tourists following the research and models of the Cairns tourism reef operators industry.
However Cairns and Tropical North Queensland have inherited a reputation as a prominent place to possibly be stung by an Irikanji jelly fish from November to May which is the Australian summer.
The main reason Cairns has this dangerous jelly fish reputation is because researchers have been coming to Australia since the 1940's and documenting and researching the Irikanji and other marine stinger jelly fish in the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef thus all the research records are here and referred to constantly and no other countries have dedicated long term records like those held here in Cairns.
See below an interview comment from prominent jelly fish researcher Dr Lisa-Ann Gershwin.
Response From Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin
"Yeah, basically, this is where the hub of safety, research and scientific knowledge on Box jelly fish and Irikanjis has been recorded. It's not that they are "more numerous" here, per se; it's that it's more pro-active here in terms of knowledge and prevention, and has been since the 1940's. It's just a historical tradition that the scientific research and data hub is here - it could have quite easily been anywhere else in the world in terms of need or actual interest in the subject of Jelly fish which not too many people find interesting apart from maybe myself and my colleagues and yourself Christina as it affects tourism to Cairns during the Green season which is a real shame as there is nothing to be scared of at all."
If you are still worried about travelling to the Cairns and Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef during November to May then please take the time to read the whole interview so that you have the correct perspective on the level of danger for you and your family.
See here an Interview with Dr Lisa-ann Gershwin
Swimming in Cairns north Queensland is actually a much safer place than swimming in other countries at this time of year due to the safety standard of our reef tourism operator's practices.
By law Australia has no responsibility to tell tourists that there are things in the oceans that may just hurt them because as educated adults they should know this anyway.
It's the same as telling them that when they cross the road be careful as you have a high risk of being hit by a car. Well they should they no know this anyway? Mind you being hit by a car gives you a hundred or million times higher chance than ever being stung by a jelly fish.
The reason it is so safe to swim in Queensland waters all year round is as mentioned above the safety standard practices that the Cairns and Port Douglas marine tourism operators have put in place along with the research input from the Irikanji jelly fish researchers like Dr Lisa Ann Gershwin.
One of the reasons why jelly fish researchers love to see a potential (and not always confirmed by the newspaper first) Irikanji jelly fish sting in the headlines is it means more potential research fund money so they want to see it blasted world wide so they can continue the research with donations coming in from the government and other contributors.
Unfortunately this has contributed to a billion or trillion dollar or more blow to the Queensland tourism industry for ever and a day because the whole story is never ever shown in a newspaper article just the highly emotive bits to scare people.
If it was presented in a true research documented paper style and they tried to publish it in main stream media no one would read it nor would they be able to sell the newspaper.
From the years of research that has been done in Cairns and north Queensland the tour operators and the marine industry can predict the potential days that marine stinger jelly fish may be present in the waters so they do advise guests on the life guard patrolled beaches to not swim on those days unless they swim in the patrolled designated areas of the beaches.
All of the Great Barrier Reef tour operators carry full piece lycra swim suits for guests to cover up from head to toe during the times where jelly fish just may be present. Guests are not forced to wear these lycra suits if they do not want to but they are encouraged to do so not only for their own safety and piece of mind but so that if by any chance they do get a sting it does not disrupt the other guests day out on the Great Barrier Reef and having to return back to Cairns or Port Douglas early so they can receive medical attention.
Do Not Touch The Coral Reefs
Not only is it illegal to touch or take coral from Australia's Great Barrier Reef but it is also potentially dangerous for you to do so.
If you are cut by the coral it can turn into a very nasty infection and in a tropical environment that can be big trouble if you have not treated the wound with antiseptics and bathed it constantly and looked after it. Should it turn nasty then seek medical attention as you may need a course of antibiotics to really attack the infection.
Be aware if you try and take coral from the Great Barrier Reef whether it is dead and lying on the beach or you break off a brightly coloured piece you will be punished with a hefty fine from the authorities.
p>
It takes some species of coral hundreds of years to grow so every piece is precious and has a reason for its existence in the underwater world. Leave it for others to see and enjoy also.
Never ever walk on the coral. Not only because you will cut your feet but you will be destroying delicate reef systems that will take many many years to recover. Snorkel over the top until you are well clear and then tread water to check your position.
Scuba Diving on the Great Barrier Reef
Make sure you fill out your medical questionnaire truthfully for your own safety reasons and the safety of fellow divers.
Tell the dive instructors if you have had recent surgery, or you are suffering from a cold or chest infection. Advise them if you are on any medication or you suffer from epilepsy or asthma.
Scuba diving puts pressure on your body so you need to be in ship shape order to scuba dive as once you are down below it could go wrong if you have not been honest in your medical questionnaire.
Scuba diving Cairns Great Barrier Reef and scuba diving Port Douglas Great Barrier Reef in Australia has one of the worlds highest safety standards and it's the place people come to just learn how to scuba dive correctly and safely in one of the most diverse amazing places Australia's Great Barrier Reef in Cairns and Port Douglas.