It almost defies description, until you sink into its azure water. The warmth surrounds you and lulls you into wandering forever. Swimming the surface with fins, snorkel, and mask, I was a visitor to a foreign world, like space. The water is shallow, allowing the space traveler to see into this world with ease and still have the comfort that our world is only an inch away. The environment seems oblivious to my presence, little fish swimming about doing chores among the coral statues, and larger fish lurked around, hopefully well fed…

The white sand bottom gives way to a mass of coral. Nothing compares. Fans, cantaloupes, brains, antlers, and shapes I’m unable to describe. The sun is filtered even at this depth, yet the colors follow the rainbow, the color purely a work of art.

It is the only living organism that can be seen from space and certainly one of the greatest natural wonders of the world – the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef is 1500 miles of nature’s art, an eco system that compares to none. It was a privilege to visit this extraordinary place, but visiting comes with a price. Yes, it costs money to visit, but the very act of visiting impacts the Reef. The Reef is a World Heritage site and Australia is working hard to preserve its beauty.

As we leave, the Reef calls to me like the siren it is, it blue water inviting me for another swim…