Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

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The boat leaves the Cairns Marina at 8:30am for day trips to the outer reef, so we got up early around 7am to make sure we will not miss the boat. Got to the Marina at 8am, had to check in... in the big building just before the pier, so many people going on various boats, feels rather like an airport... reef tax is compulsory at $20 per person...

The diving was really awasome

We did the Norman reef first

Average depth 10m, max depth 18m, water temp at 30! Time at 45 minutes with 50 bar in reserve...

Hired a underwater camera the previous for $30 for the day, you pick it up around 7pm the previous night and after you dives, you drop of the camera and they will upload all your pictures on a DVD, and that takes about 2 hours... So go for dinner or drinks while you wait... The underwater camera is really easy to use, just point and take photos...

The trip to the reef took about an hour and half, the sea was pretty flat, so not many people got seasick... Dived the Norman reef at around 11am, considering this was my first dive in 2 years, I was pretty, actually really nervous, but within 5 minutes of getting back into the water, I love it... I can't believe I left it for so long... Saw alot of stuff, I don't really know what they are, they are in the photos I took, so if you see anything interesting in these photos, let me know...

Second dive was within 45 minutes after the first one, at Norman reef as well, by then, I am really starting to enjoy this experience, with water temperature at 30 degrees, without having to wear full wetsite and only 2 weights, this is paradise... another 45 minute dive, nothing technical, just pure pleasure of diving in the best patch of water... Got attacked by a massive trigger fish sometimes during the second dive, I remember the name of the fish, because I did some research afterwards, apparantly during mating season November to March, they become very protective of their nests... They attack anyone or things that get too close to their nest, and they will chase you all the way to the surface. So lesson learnt here, is if you ever get attacked by one, do not swim to the surface, because they will keep on chasing you to the top. The best way, is to swim horizontally away from their nests... I swam too close to one, it looked at me right in the eyes and attacked my legs, one on the left and one on the right, was over within 2 seconds, quite painful, fish was 50cm long...

Third dive went to Saxon reef, again just another relaxing dive, took some nice photos with my diving buddies...

Met some awesome people on this dive trip, Alejandro, my dive buddy, and his girlfriend Stephy, they are from Columbia, Phil from Sweden, Sami from Finland, really small world turned out everyone went to Melbourne on exchange, and we all had so many neutral friends, some of us had seem each other at friends parties, but didn't meet until this trip... We went for ice cream, dinner and drinks after the dive, I think this is right order, left the bar sometimes around 11pm, had a hard time finding a bottle shop to get more drinks, but found one near a backpackers, and went to Alejandro and Stephy's hotel for more drinks...

By the way, the bar we went to had really really cheap alcohol, for a classy bar, they do good dinners and the coronas are only 3.5 dollars, I can't believe it... I will remember the name of that place and post it on this, it is opposite to the Woolworths...

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Photos

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Trigger fish attack