Day 0 of scuba trip
Several weeks (maybe months, I can’t remember) ago, I realized that I would not be able to leave Australia without diving the infamous Great Barrier Reef. So, I made it my mission to find a get-up where I could get an authentic reef experience. Something more than just a day trip and where there is a bit more freedom. I found a 3-day, 2-night trip offered by Cairns Dive Centre for a decent price. I bought my flight, booked online, and here I am now, sitting on the top deck of the M.V. Kangaroo Explorer, telling you about my time so far here. I arrived to Cairns on June 3rd and took an airport shuttle straight to my hostel, Globetrotters International. This hostel was very nice. The room was cooled by an extreme air conditioning system and averaged a temperature of about 50 degrees during the time I was there. My room was a 3-person suite with a TV and refrigerator, which I shared with a young English couple.
After dropping my stuff in the room, I proceeded to go explore the city of Cairns. I don’t feel “city” is quite the right word. Its more like a coastal town… lots of surf shops, touristy stores, art galleries, and outdoor dining. Its really quite colourful and most of the buildings do not exceed 3 stories. Everything is well spaced with intermittent palm trees and other types of greenery. I walked around for several hours. After eating lunch by the boardwalk I found some interesting stores got some un-pass-up-able knick-nacks for you people, browsed an aboriginal art gallery, and got some last minute items for my trip. (tim-tams being my main priority!)
One thing that I felt that is very different about Australia is that everything feels very safe. Australian are very friendly, laid-back, just-wanna-have-a-good-time people, and the atmosphere greatly reflects that. I have met more women traveling here alone than I can count on one hand, something that is rare in other parts of the world.
As the Sun started to set, I made my way back to the hostel for a peaceful night of studying before my big next 3 days.
Day 1
My pick-up time was @ 8:00 AM sharp. I boarded a bus with several other divers and headed to the dive centre. My fellow divers included Stephanie, a girl from Montana, a couple boys from Switzerland, three more Americans, Stephan, Luke, and Mike, and some English girls. There were about 25 people on the boat in all, including divers, boat crew, hosties (kitchen/hospitality crew), and dive masters.
We took a 2-hour boat ride to get to the M.V. Kangaroo explorer that is permanently stationed in the reef. The sea was rough getting there. My fellow divers and I decided to hang out on top, which was much like riding a bull. There were several occasions where I would have fallen down the ladder and probably broken my neck if it wasn’t for Luke. Thanks again!
THE BOAT
The overnight boat was absolutely fantastic. The first floor consists of the dive deck and the saloon. This is where all the meals are served, and coffee, tea, and fruit are available round the clock. There is even a bar on board!
The second floor serves purpose as crew and diver accommodation and a clothesline; this is also where we change into our wetsuits.
The third floor has an open-air deck that is furnished with tables and chairs. On the bow side of the top there is a library.
THE DIVES
Our first dive I was buddied with Stephan and Mike (who I was with for the next two days) It actually worked out quite well, as Mike used air more quickly then Stefan and I, so we could go on for a bit longer after Mike surfaced. They also rented a camera for the 2 days they were here, and I give thanks to them for all the pictures I have now. We took a quick dive to the reef, to check equipment and make sure everyone felt comfortable. Even though my last dive was over 3 years ago, it was just like riding a bike…came back right away!
We got to see what our instructor called “gay nemos”, which were basically pink clownfish. When looking at the coral, it is hard to remember that these towers of were created from tiny little organisms. What used to be desolate ocean is now a bustling city with fish inhabiting every crevice and colourful coral swaying in the current. For every piece of coral there are 30 fish swarming it. We saw a large turtle cruising through the crawling towers; acclimated to the human presence, he seemed to care very little about our presence.
The second dive was “fun dive” where we were just set free from the boat with our buddies to explore wherever the current took us. I felt like everywhere I looked I saw a fish I’d never seen before. This has happened hundreds of times. It is so incredible how many types of fish inhabit this place!
Then came the NIGHT DIVE!! ScaRy! They sent us into the dark water with nothing but a torch and a few instructions: 1. Don’t shine your torch in anyone’s face, and 2. Don’t turn off your torch, because it might not turn back on. We followed around our guide and got to see all sorts of night dwelling creatures. This big, red, fish come out at night and kept scaring me as they darted right past my face.
That evening, they made an announcement about getting an “Adventure Diver Certification”, which sounded like a lot of fun, and something good to have on my dive card. As a 3-day diver, I could also pick two specialties on top of a deep dive and navigation certification. For my specialty, which I will be completing on the last day, I chose an underwater photography specialty, and a boat drop specialty.
Before heading to bed, we stayed out and watched the stars for a while, counting meteorites, and contemplating the complexities of the universe.
Then I slept like a baby. Literally being rocked to sleep by the waves.
Day 2
The deep dive, which allows us to dive to a depth of 30 metres, took place this morning at 6:00 AM. When we got to the bottom, our instructor cracked an egg, which, under such high pressure, stayed as in intact yoke, which was passed around the group before the fish that was described as a “heroin addict” for the eggs, darted in and snatched it up. They also brought down a can of Coke, which at that depth had lost all of its red pigmentation.
One of my favorite moments so far on this dive was while ascending, we came across a school of wrasse. They had to be 15 of them, at least 100 lbs each, and as we approached, I stopped swimming and drifted into the school. They moved slowly around me, curiously looking at me with their big eyes. All I could hear was the sounds of my own breathing and the movement of the water around me. It was one of the most surreal things I have ever experienced. (not my picture, by the way. just for a little perspective...) Right after that, we saw a white-tipped reef shark, the first shark I’ve ever seen…wee! 
Breakfast was at 7:00 AM, and at 8:00, we got back in the water for our navigation dive. We were given a compass taught some basic navigation skills and had to complete several challenges. Right after we got to the bottom I saw a curious object in the distance. First I thought it was a log, but turns out it was a shovel-nosed ray, which are apparently somewhat of a rare sight. It looked a lot like a shark, but unlike a shark, it can cease from swimming and not suffocate. We also saw a nudibranch, a colourful slug, which comes in a variety of colours
I am currently procrastinating studying for my two final examinations I have the day after I get back. So…I probably should get on that.
Yeah. I will. More updates tomorrow. Cheers!
Day 3
Riding on the train, it’s 11:40 PM, and I am finally on my way home from a spectacular weekend diving trip on the Great Barrier Reef. Because I was flying today, I could not dive. So, instead I spent the day snorkeling and surface diving, which was actually very fun. It’s a bit of a challenge to see how long and how deep I can go without the need for air. For the last few weeks I have been doing exercises to stretch my lungs to increase capacity, and it worked! I think my best was about 45 seconds at 20-25 feet. I felt like a mermaid swimming through the fish and coral. It was like a dream.
I almost wasn’t even going to go snorkeling, because I was somewhat disappointed about not being able to dive. But, this girl on the boat (I can’t really remember her name) convinced me that sometimes you could see things snorkeling that you wouldn’t see diving. The reef I snorkeled today was called “Timor Reef East” and consisted of several large shallow platforms and some big drop offs. So after a 45-minute snorkel I realized how right she was! I saw a BIG puffer fish…surprisingly big actually. He was so shy and I chased him around the shallows for a minute or two before he swam out of site. I also saw a large school of black parrotfish, several giant clams, and like a million and one fish. I tried to keep track of all the different kinds of fish I was seeing, but it’s like everywhere I looked there were like 10 new fish I hadn’t seen yet. This reef was especially good for snorkeling as the platform was only submerged in about 3 feet of water so I was looking at everything nice and close. Then I would occasionally swim over to the drop off and dive down as far as I could.
I rented a camera for the day, but the pictures can do absolutely NO justice to the beauty beneath the surface. It’s something you have to see with your own eyes to understand. After two successful snorkeling sessions I spent the remainder of the day lounging in the Sun I would soon have to say goodbye to. Newcastle, like it has been for the past 2 weeks, is rainy and cold today, and I did my darnedest to absorb every possible ray of warm Cairns Sun before leaving.
The boat left the M.V. Kangaroo Explorer around 2:15 PM, and after returning I found a travel agency that booked an airport shuttle for me. Upon arrival to the airport, I was having difficulties checking in at the self-check kiosk, so I was directed to the counter. The lady at the counter pointed out that my bag looked like it weighed over the acceptable amount of 10 kilograms. She said it was critical that every passenger have no more than 10 kg because it is “completely booked up”. She weighted it and it was 13.9 kg and she told me I had to check it for 80 dollars. Yeah, right. Let me just got pick some money off the Jetstar money tree outside. Are you kidding me? So, I said I would be right back and headed to the bathroom. I took out all of my clothing for the weekend and put it on. I also took out my toiletries and stashed them in the bathroom behind the toilet. At that point my bag looked much smaller, and I looked much bigger…and sweatier. So exiting the bathroom a soggy mess, I proceeded to pass the bag test and got my ticket. I jetted back to the bathroom, took off all my excess clothing, retrieved my stashed items, and headed to the terminal.
About 15 minutes before my boarding time I hear this announcement over the loud speaker:
“WILL JETSTAR PASSENGER ELYSE WODA PLEASE COME TO THE CHECK IN DESK AT GATE 19? ELYSE WODA PLEASE COME TO CHECK IN DESK AT GATE 19”.
I’m pretty sure my heart skipped like 9 beats. Images of Jetstar-Nazi-Lady saying “keep and eye on that one” to security and them going over surveillance videos noting my noticeably large backpack as I exit the bathroom. I was expecting to walk in and see guards waiting to escort me out of the building. I had a boat load of defenses all lined up about how stupid the policy is and I can go put the clothes back on if its THAT big of a deal. After re-packing my entire bag to walk over the counter, there it is again…
“WILL PASSENGER ELYSE WODA PLEASE COME TO JETSTAR CHECK IN DESK AT GATE 19. ELYSE WODA!!!!!”
Only 6 beats this time. I cautiously make my way up to the desk and the only person there is a lady in a neon vest. “I believe you dropped this” she says, and hands me my driver’s license with a smile.
YIKES I’m way too paranoid.
My flight was smooth. Yet again, I had an empty row (as did several others) despite the “completely booked flight” that JNL was so adamant about. I am now about an hour into my train ride home, yet again procrastinating studying for my exam tomorrow.
Leaving for NZ Wednesday so who cares! Just kidding….. J
UPDATE------AFTER 40 HOURS WITH NO SLEEP I'M DONE WITH FINALS AND LEAVING FOR NEWZEE IN 2 HOURS!!!!
CHEERS!!!!!
***Some of these pictures are courtesy of Stephan, thanks again! :) ***
2 comments:
Elyse! You are my hero!!!! I am too freaked out by water to ever scuba dive (but you have me actually contemplating it!!!) I am fascinated by coral! (Once went on an elementary school field trip to the Zoo with one of the kids and learned all about how LONG it takes to grow, etc. -- so cool!) This is AWESOME!!! Thanks for blogging about it so I can live vicariously through you!
You give such amazing head Elyse I miss that pretty mouth of yours!!! :)
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