Diving in Amed

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Two updates in as many days, you lucky lucky people. Not as lucky as me, mind. I just spend the day exploring a few coral reefs, checking out the little fishes going around their daily business. It is quite simply one of the most awe inspiring things I have ever done, and I am only a day into the course.

I am being trained up by a great big Australian guy called Murray. The actual practicalities of diving are interesting, it is a more complex process than I thought it would be, but very easy to get to grips with.

The coral reefs here are teeming with life, and are only a short swim from the beach. There is no way you can compare snorkling with this; the experience is much more vivid and allows you to get close to the wildlife and feel as though you are a part of their world. We saw some puffer fish, some big flat fish, plus countless over strange beasties which I cannot recall the names of.

Tomorrow we are going for a short drive up the coast to dive a wreck called the USS Liberty. Again, the dive site is easily accessable from the beach (it was actually on the beach until the 1963 volcanic eruption, which shifted it into the water). It is a big wreck - over 100 metres long.

We have more exercises to do (among them sharing air in case of emergency), I will have some textbook stuff to read, but other than that the course just involves diving and checking things out. Pretty sweet.

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