Diving Down Under...

Nikki wrote this on Tuesday, but internet access is hard to find when you are busy, busy, busy!



We’ve found another new and expensive addiction- scuba diving! We went scuba diving for the first time yesterday and it was awesome- so good that we actually paid to go out on a second dive (you know it must be good if a couple of cheap people like us are paying to do it again). It was a very surreal experience being completely submerged under water and swimming with the fish. We saw some really unusual creatures and even touched a sea cucumber, sea anemone, and giant clam. Did I mention it was awesome?! Oh yeah- did I also mention we were at the Great Barrier Reef?! I cannot believe that I’ve been to the Great Barrier Reef- I’ve snorkeled and scuba dived (I don’t think that’s a word- but scuba dove doesn’t sound right) the Great Barrier Reef- it’s a biologist’s dream!

Anyway, let me back up a couple days and talk about the other things we’ve done here in Port Douglas- besides scuba diving… which we did… at the Great Barrier Reef. We flew to Cairns Saturday morning- it was fun flying with Cara and Nick- and then caught a shuttle to Port Douglas. We thought that Saturday and Sunday were supposed to be rainy, but it was sunny and beautiful when we arrived. We checked into our apartment- it’s probably two to three times the size of our apartment in Melbourne with 3-bedrooms, 2-bathrooms, a full-size kitchen, a small balcony downstairs, and a wrap-around veranda upstairs. We’re surrounded by palm trees and are about a 5-minute walk to the beach. We spent most of the afternoon Saturday at the beach and then went out for dinner. On Sunday morning, we went to the Port Douglas markets. We saw some cool stuff, but the only things we bought were coffee and a small cooler bag to carry around to keep our water cold. After the market, Cara and I went shopping around the town and Mark and Nick went back to the beach. We ate in and then enjoyed some wine and Pain Killers (it’s some drink that they had in the Caribbean and Nick has perfected it here). Yesterday, of course, we went to the Great Barrier Reef!

On our way out to the Reef, there was a silver fish skidding across the water- it was pretty cool! Before reaching the first spot (we stopped at three spots), we watched a video about diving and then went over the basics with the guide. I have to say, Mark and I were a little nervous. Fortunately we were scheduled to snorkel at the first site and dive at the second- I think snorkeling first got us used to breathing while under water. We had a great time snorkeling! The reef was right below us so we saw tons of cool stuff. After awhile at the first site, we got back on the boat and headed to the second site. At the second site, we loaded up all of our gear, practiced breathing, and then got into the water. Mark and I went first, went over a couple skills with the guide, and then hung out and waited for Cara and Nick to come in and went over the skills. Then it was off to explore. We were out on our first dive for about 35 minutes, which I guess is good for beginners- it means we were calm and easy with our breathing. I found myself focusing on my breathing and on depressurizing my ears, so every once in awhile I’d have to remind myself that I was at the Great Barrier Reef with strange tropical creatures all around. It was much easier on the second dive and I was able to enjoy myself much more- plus we were on the second dive for about the same amount of time but we didn’t have to do all of the skills, so we were able to spend more time swimming around and exploring. It was an awesome experience and we can’t wait to show off our video- because, yes, we did the dorky first-time divers thing and bought the video :)

Today, Mark and Nick are golfing and Cara and I are just taking it easy. We might do a little shopping or treat ourselves to pedicures, but then again, we might just hang out at the beach. Tomorrow we’re going on a tour to the Kuranda Rainforest and Thursday we’ve rented a car and plan to go to the Mossman Gorge, the Daintree (another rainforest), and Cape Tribulation. Mark and I are going back out snorkeling on Friday and I think Cara and Nick are going to do a crocodile cruise. Saturday morning it’s goodbye to Cara and Nick and back to reality :(