Days 51, 52 & 53: The Great Barrier Reef
Pro Dive picked us up from our hotel bright and early for our big trip to the Great Barrier Reef. It actually takes about 3hrs by boat to get to the reef from Cairns, so we had time for brekky and some leisure time on the top deck before our first dive in the ocean. The boat was pretty big: 3 levels, 8 bathrooms with showers, with 37 passengers and 7 crew. In addition to all the students going for our PADI Open Water certification, about half the passengers were already certified, along for a regular scuba trip.
Bright-eyed and bushy tailed for our 6AM boat departure from Cairns to the Great Barrier Reef!
Brekky, a cup of coffee, and our private cabin – things are starting out right!
Our first day on the reef, we had 2 training dives – where we had to prove we could complete the skills we learned in the pool in the ocean – as well as a pleasure snorkel. Funny thing, we saw as many fish & a turtle snorkeling as we ever did scuba diving – but then it’s not the quantity of what you see that matters, it’s the perspective.
We toasted our first successful dive over a delicious Indian-food dinner and some BYO bubbles, while all the certified divers jumped into the water for their first night dive. While we didn’t see a single shark during the day, 3 sharks appeared in the evening, circling the boat!
Our first dive site on the Great Barrier Reef
A really yummy curry dinner, with a beautiful sunset. Keepin’ it classy with some cheap bubbles in coffee mugs on deck.
We were in the water for more training before breakfast the next morning, so that we would be on track to get our PADI certification before lunch. Round of applause – we did it! That afternoon, Igor and Lindsay took off underwater without an instructor for the first time! Of course, we’re still not experts at reading our compass and had the surface to find our way back to the boat, but we made it back to the boat in one piece!
Got our stinger-suits on! Jellies? No problem!
After reviewing the map of the reef and dive plan from our Dive Master, we jumped into the water to explore
30 feet underwater, and feeling great!
The time goes by so quickly – we can’t wait for our next dive!
After dinner the second night, we braved the circling sharks and jumped in the water for our guided night dive. The reef was really eerie in the dark – brimming with life and activity during the day, it’s so strange to swim past it with barely any fish around. We saw plenty of sharks – including a guitar shark! – but weren’t scared when we found out they don’t like the light and all you have to do is shine your flashlight in their face to make them swim away. We also went in search of Brian – a 140-year-old turtle who lives in the Fylnn Reef – unfortunately he was hiding in the back of his little cave, so only those divers with really good maneuverability were able to stick their heads in far enough to see him. However, Lindsay did see another (nameless) turtle swim past, so that was cool.
Disappearing under the dark waters – a bit freaky!
We returned to the boat exhilarated, and after a quick shower (3min max! Gotta share the hot water with everyone!), we went back up top to celebrate. On the top deck, we discovered a new character had joined the boat – Lebron the bird! The skipper recognized the friendly bird who is accustomed to visiting dive boats on the reef, and coaxed him down to mingle with the tourists.
Igor and Tessa making friends with Lebron
This guy was a little attention seeker! We actually had trouble getting him to perch on the boat instead of a person!
For our last morning on the reef, Igor wanted to catch some extra Zs, so he opted to snorkel our 6AM dive, while Lindsay paired up with one of our classmates. After watching us having fun from above, he decided to strap on the tank for our last two dives in the reef, where we found THE REAL NEMO.
Igor doing his thing – trying to make friends with the animals. The Spotted Sweetlips wasn’t having it.
NEMO, Marlin & even the deceased Coral! (photo credit to Kerri B, whose camera worked at 18 meters, unlike our which crapped out at 10 meters) Also, do I spot a few DORYS on the right side of this reef?!? Please say yes, I was looking for her the whole time and kept missing her.
As we sadly said good bye to the reef and made our way back to Cairns, the bad weather that had been threatening us and ruining our visibility all week finally let it rip. That evening we braved the storm to meet up with our classmates and Pro Dive instructors for a casual dinner & drinks at the Bavarian Beer Garden where we had one last chance to reminisce about our experience at the reef and bid each other farewell.
PADI Open Water Certified, bitches!
What an adventure–getting your PADI Open Water certification, learning all about the sex lives of the coral and fish and you saw NEMO, Marlin & even the deceased Coral! Great blog.