Blogs from Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 17

25/11/06 - 28/11/06 Diving the Great Barrier Reef The dive trip that we booked was a 4-day trip on board a Catamaran M/V Nimrod out of Cooktown, to the Cod hole and Ribbon Reefs. This meant that the trip included low-level flights each way between Cairns and Cooktown. The plane flies at under 1000 ft/ 350 meters to enable us to make 2 dives in the morning and then fly the same day and was a real bonus to the dive trip looking down over the rain forest and the reefs and cays of the coast. The pilot announced a “Real treat” as we passed the ‘Devil’s Thumb’ a rock formation mountain peak high up above the rainforest. Supposedly it’s usually too windy or too cloudy to pass close to it and this was only the ... read more

Hello Hello!!!!!!! So I have been busy with my scuba lessons since Monday. It doesn't leave me any time to do anything. I get picked up from the hostel at 9 am and then dropped off at 6:30 pm or so. The first two days were combination of theory and pool lessons. Ok first I have to say my instructor, Dave, is super hott and he is an Aussie. (Hmmm I wonder what he is doing for Christmas?? hehehe) Anyway, we went into the pool in the afternoon on the first day of course. We geared up and went under. I had a slight anxiety attack and had to come up. Oh my god, you mean I really have to breathe in and out of my mouth and not my nose? How the heck do you ... read more

Today was the cruise on the Ragamuffin. And how typical- it was terrential rain when we woke up! We decided to stay positive and hope that it would stop so we made our way back to the mainland on the ferry to maat the yacht. It didn't stop and we were getting drenched! I was in two minds whether to go back to Long Island but we carried on. The crew onboard gave us yellow raincoats- very attractive they were too! We had a safety briefing and started our sail to Blue Pearl Bay on the coast of Hayman Island. I wanted to try scuba diving so I got kitted up into my wetsuit and the guy taking us down there had a chat with us about the different communication signals and safety etc... The rain ... read more

I couldn't come to Australia and not see the Great Barrier Reef. I also couldn't come to the Great Barrier Reef and simply snorkel it. Scuba was the only way to go so, with some trepidation, I booked myself onto a 5 day course that would hopefully culminate in me being awarded PADI Open Water Certification - a licence to dive anywhere in the world to a depth of 18m. By choosing to go with a company called Pro-Dive in Cairns, I'd opted for possibly the most expensive operator and location possible, but Pro-Dive's reputation preceded them. They were also the only company in Cairns offering a liveaboard boat for the sea-based 3 days of the course - other outfits ferried their customers in and out each day, making for large amounts of travelling and increased ... read more

"Under the sea, under the sea. Down where it's wetter, that's where its better, take it from me..." OH MY GOD! I have just had THE most amazing, exciting, thrilling, nerve wracking, adrenaline filled 5 days and am now a certified open water diver :) The first 2 days were spent in at the training centre with half the day in the classroom learning all the theory and finding out how easy it was to die if we mucked up!The remainder was spent in the 4m deep pool getting used to using the equipment and doing skills like removing, replacing and clearing our masks, sharing air with our 'buddy'and descending and ascending slowly as well as getting used to equalising our ears as we descended(we resembled prunes by the end of both days!). There were ... read more