Dive at Great Barrier Reef, Hike in Daintree Rainforest

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Twenty-nine years after I first scuba dived at the Great Barrier Reef, I did it again. If I repeat this pattern, the next time I’ll be 95, which may require a different kind of oxygen tank. (Actually, most diving tanks contain more nitrogen than oxygen.)

Leaving from Port Douglas, a picturesque tourist town in Australia’s northeast corner, Pat and I rode a catamaran to the Agincourt Reef, where we spent the day exploring one of the best sections of the world’s largest coral reef.

I scuba dived and snorkeled, while Pat just snorkeled. Since I hadn’t scuba dived in such a long time, I had to take a refresher course on how to use the equipment, underwater etiquette and safety guidelines. When our instructor reminded us never to remove our breathing mouthpiece, one first-time diver asked why. I’ve always been told there’s no such thing as a stupid question, but I’m pretty sure this was an exception.

Despite numerous reports that the Great Barrier Reef is dying, I learned the story is more complicated. While parts of the reef have suffered major “bleaching’’ damage caused by unusually warm water, much of the area is still thriving. Global warming is clearly the main coral killer, but cyclones and other factors have also contributed to the problem. Last year UNESCO decided not to add the Great Barrier Reef to its list of endangered World Heritage sites, though it did acknowledge the threat posed by climate change.

Our boat stopped at three sites, and each one was teeming with brightly colored coral and fish. We spotted orange clownfish (nicknamed “Nemos’’), blue Maori wrasse (a thick-lipped fish with a hump on its head), striped butterflyfish, yellow parrotfish (which excrete sand), and a sleek Gray Reef Shark.

The Great Barrier Reef stretches 1,400 miles off the northeast coast of Australia. It includes 2,900 reefs, 600 types of coral and more than 1,600 fish species. Up close, it looks like the surface of an exotic planet covered with rainbow-colored formations of all shapes and sizes. Coral, by the way, aren’t rocks or plants. They’re living animals with stinging tentacles they use to sweep food into their mouths.

Before returning to shore, the boat’s crew carefully counted the number of passengers to make sure nobody was left behind. We heard that a couple was left in the water last year and died. Talk about missing the boat.

The following day, I spent my 66th birthday in the Daintree Rainforest, a sprawling 460-square mile tropical paradise north of Port Douglas. The diverse ecosystem is home to more than 3,000 plant species, 1,200 types of insects and 430 bird species. Not to mention crocodiles, bats and the Boyd’s forest dragon, a brownish-gray lizard that blends in so perfectly with its surroundings that I could barely spot one that was climbing a tree just a few feet in front of me.

You need to be careful when you brush up against some of the plants. I ripped my shorts and cut my leg when I got too close to a prickly Wait-A-While vine and Pat developed a horrible itch after touching a stinging tree, whose leaves and stems are covered with tiny needle-like hairs that can trigger a severe allergic reaction.

We were fortunate to have an Aboriginal guide with an encyclopedic knowledge of the local habitat. Michael showed us the many ways in which the indigenous Australians learned to use nature without destroying it. He showed us how chewing an umbrella tree branch can soothe a toothache, crushing and sniffing a green ant can clear your sinuses, and rubbing a soap tree leaf with water can produce enough suds to wash your hands.

Michael also told us that, despite a well-publicized federal program designed to improve conditions for Aborigines, there is still widespread discrimination against native Australians, who were almost wiped out by the guns and disease that British settlers brought Down Under in the late 1700s. “We are still not treated like real Australians,’’ he said.

We stopped for lunch at Wonga Beach, where Michael taught us how to spearfish using a bamboo pole with a sharp metal tip. We aimed at a coconut about 10 feet away, and I managed to spear it on my third try. I’m still not sure I could survive this way since coconuts can’t swim away when you’re trying to spear them.

On our way to Mossman Gorge, we passed a granite memorial commemorating the Japanese bombing of a sugar cane farm in 1942. A 2-year-old girl was wounded by shrapnel, but survived and returned to dedicate the memorial 50 years later.

Mossman Gorge has a visitors’ center, elevated metal walkways and a river where we took a dip in cool, pristine water. We met a young couple there, a man from New Zealand and a Canadian woman, who were traveling around Australia. When I asked where they met, the man said “a pub’’ and then laughed. Then he told me they actually met on Tinder, the hookup app favored by young singles. “Well, it’s kind of like a pub,’’ he said. “It’s a place where strangers get together.’’

On the ride back to Port Douglas, we passed endless fields of sugar cane and a bunch of cattle farms, representing the region’s two main agricultural products. All the sugar cane harvesting is done by machine these days. Back when it was done by hand, Michael said, they used to burn the fields to kill any snakes before harvesting.

This is the rainy season in the Port Douglas area, but we lucked out with three straight days of sunshine. Many of the stores and restaurants are closed because it’s the low season.

On our final day here, we hiked along an ocean-view trail, browsed through a flea market and visited a wildlife habitat, where we saw several momma kangaroos carrying little joeys in their pouches. I also learned the following fun facts about Australian fauna:

• Koalas sleep up to 20 hours a day and spend most of their waking hours eating. Reminds me of an old racetrack buddy of mine.
• Crocodiles can hold their breath under water for two hours. I can swim one lap underwater if there’s money on the line.
• The cassowary is the world’s third-largest bird, behind the ostrich and the emu. They’re flightless, but can run 30 miles per hour and jump up to six feet.

After dinner, we went to a bar that holds weekly toad races. I had a hot tip on the No. 3 toad, but unfortunately the event was postponed because business was slow.

Next stop: Ayers Rock.