Swimming with sharks, turtles and colorful fish on the Barrier Reef

One of the many black-tipped sharks I swam with at Heron Island.

As our boat pulled up to the island, there were sharks surrounding us in every direction. About a dozen black-tipped and white-tipped reef sharks welcomed our arrival to Heron Island. Growing up in the age of Jaws, I could not help but to be just a little intimidated by all those fins below me.

But despite that, I still snorkeled in that very same harbor the very next day. And yes, those sharks were around. Was I nervous? Yes, I must admit that their presence did make me breathe a bit harder through my snorkel. But those sharks were gorgeous. And they were not at all interested in having me for lunch. There were plenty of other fish in the sea for those guys.

This time on the reef, Robert and I also saw many more green turtles than we have on our last turtle tours. Apparently, it has been a big nesting season. And every night, we would see turtles making their way up over the reef rocks and sand to lay their eggs. During the late afternoon, turtle hatchlings would try to make their way to the Coral Sea. And when we snorkeled, they would swim with us. These giant dinosaurs are surprisingly graceful swimmers.

We both always love taking part in the extras that the Heron Island Resort provides, including the reef walks and a tour of the research station . (Robert first came to the island while he was in university, and spent many weeks researching the coral for the station.) . If you’re planning to visit Heron Island Resort find out more @ outdoorempire.com in regards to all of the excursions that you can experience. On the reef walk, we went out at low tide to see the coral, sea cucumbers, fish, clams, sea stars and other creatures that are exposed as the ride moves out. I am always blown away by what we find–the colors and variety of coral, fish and other creatures are almost too stunning to believe.