Cairns: Great Barrier Reef

---

Last night was a pretty exciting night. We got to join up with the other 20 people who will tour with us down to Sydney. Apparently the length we are traveling is equivalent to traveling from New York to Miami. 2,000 miles from Cairns to Sydney so I guess you can say we will be spending a lot of time with one another!
As I was getting ready for bed last night, I set my alarm for 1am as it would have been 9am St. Louis time. This was the time in which my board exam results would be published. I was so nervous after having to wait 10 days. Throughout the waiting time I would go back and forth to I passed to I failed and I will need to re take it. All the emotions! Then, as I was laying in bed at 11pm I got an email from NBCOT as my results were ready to be looked at. I immediately got dizzy as I thought I had another 2 hours to mentally prepare. So, I went on my hotel deck, failed to get WiFi a couple of times and then read the results. I passed!!
Wow! I am actually an OT. So crazy to think about.
What better way to celebrate than going to the Great Barrier Reef!! Today, Feb 17, we woke up at 6am to eat breakfast and head to the boat. They took us to a marina in the middle of the ocean to dock. Both Morgan and I had signed up for snorkeling and entry level scuba diving for the day. Sorry Dad lol. As far as scuba diving goes, the instructor gave us a brief overview and assisted us hand in hand during the dive, going only about 6 meters deep. I had a minor freak out though, as my googles kept filling up with water while I was under water. Overall, the reef was absolutely gorgeous. Pictures do not do it justice. I even saw a blue fish the size of me in length! Afterwards they offered us lunch and a tour around the reef in a sub sumerged boat. This allowed us to see underwater and down into the channels. We even got to see a turtle!
We are now back at our hotel and resting before dinner. Loving our group and having the time of our lives.
Love,
Brenna Pinkley, MOT, OTR 😊

---