Blogs from open water, Cairns, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 3

Today I get to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef! So excited - still devastated that this flipping asssssmaaaaaar won't let me dive properly but still, at least I get to see some of the reef and the life below the ocean waves. My day started at 7am, with a lift to the marina where I'd be joining the Passions cruise. Now don't get the wrong idea here - it's all about passion for the ocean rather than passion for fellow passengers (although admittedly the boys must have been in their element on our boat, as the vast majority of girls (self obviously excluded) were wearing next to nothing and very beautiful, lazing around on the nets of the catamaran. The boys however...less so...all us girls had little eye candy for the day sadly. The boat held ... read more

First day into Cairns was my birthday which involved a 4 hour bus journey from Townsville to start the day off. This was fine though as we got to meet Ben, who was the dive instructor on the Whitsunday Atlantic Clipper boat. He was on his way up the coast to find some farm work in Cairns, a 3 month prerequisite for somebody who wants to get a second year temporary working visa. So now there were five of us - Jenna and Dixie, the Canadians; Jason, the Dutchman; Ben the dive instructor from the UK and myself. A nice group, which would stay together for the majority of the time we would spend in Cairns. Jenna and Dixie stayed with some of their family, while Jason, Ben and I stayed at the Nomads hostel ... read more

Nu har vi kommmit hem fran var vistelse pa stora barriarrevet. Vi gav oss ivag kl 0600 pa torsdag morgon med en stor motorbat med plats for 40 personer. Det tog 3 timmmar att ta sig ut till revet dar vi skulle gora vart forsta riktiga dyk. Forsta dyket gjordes vid 11. Det var ganska pirrigt forsta gangen man skulle hoppa i havet men man vande sig ganska snabbt vid kanslan. Vi skulle gora fyra ovningsdyk innan vi fick vart certifikat, forsta dagen gjorde vi tre av dom. Pa ogvningsdyken ingick ovningar som att gora olika slags noduppsigningar, ta av sig cyklopet pa botten, kompassorientering etc. Det enda man gjorde under resan var att dyka ata och sova. Efter varje dyk serverades nagot att ata och pa kvallen var man helt slut. Forsta kvallen lag vi ... read more

Despite having been to Cairns before, I have never flown further north than Townsville. The route to Cairns is ocean bound, and we were in an incredibly small plane (with rather large seats considering) that even had two propellers on each wing instead of jet engines. The flight was loud, rickety, and immensely enjoyable. Since we were in a small plane, we flew at a relatively low altitude. I found myself peering out of the window trying to catch a glimpse of a massive shadow. Townsville, and the magnetic islands especially, have a reputation for being the shark capital of the world. Of course, I have yet to see a shark here – something I’m rather dismayed about. Today’s plane ride didn’t oblige with the view of shark shadows or even whales. Apart from a large, ... read more

One of the greatest natural wonders of the world - the Great Barrier Reef is truly magnificent and spellbinding. Yesterday our visit to the reef started at 08.00 and an hour and a half boat ride out to the reef. A reef tour is best done from Cairns because the distance from shore to reef is shortest there, as you start moving down the coast the reef moves further away and it takes longer to get there hence less time on the reef. Our first stop was on the edge of the reef and while I snorkelled for almost an hour and a half, Poonam went scuba diving after a while – check her profile picture out on Facebook – Awesome!!! Snorkelling over the reef is so… cool (an understatement!) As soon as you get down ... read more