Greetings from the Great Barrier Reef…wish you were here!

Photo taken pre-dive from the dive boat in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia 2003.  Wally liked to be fed by the staff!

Taken once inside the water.  Up close and personal with Wally the fish!

My first dive ever was in the Great Barrier Reef ouside of Cairns, Australia in 2003.  We signed up with a snorkeling and dive boat that lead us out to the mighty reef.  There, we met Wally a giant Napoleon Maori Wrasse.  He first swam up to the dive boat as if coming over to meet good friends.  He was not the least bit shy.  In fact, he was playful, fun-loving and seemed to truly love people!

We pet him from the dive boat, then loaded on our gear and jumped in the refreshingly warm tropical waters.  There, Wally awaited our arrival and followed us along our dive.  He was the biggest fish I’d ever seen and it was an unbelievable experience.  It was like having a dog along on a walk except this was a giant, over-sized tropical fish lovingly named Wally by the crew.

I did some research and found the below link on the Cairns, Australia online journal (article written in 2008).  http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/07/01/5102_why-we-love-it.html

I hope that Wally continues to greet and welcome divers to this day in the amazingly spectacular freak of nature, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Written by thirdeyemom