Blogs from Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 19

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

Diving - Laura's experience: I love swimming, I love snorkelling, so it seemed logical to assume I'd take to scuba diving like the proverbial fish to water. Signing up for a 5 day PADI course was the main reason we went to Cairns in the first place, although we had to wait several days to get spaces on the ProDive course we wanted. Having both passed the medicals, although with reservations from the doctor due to Luke's propensity for nose bleeds, we spent the first few days in a mix of classroom and pool based training. The theory parts were easy and the initial pool sections a breeze, once we got over the discomfort of wearing so much gear. However, I soon discovered a previously unsuspected fear when we had to practice letting the masks fill ... read more

ahoy me mates! Kent! splendid to hear from ya. sounds like you are knee-deep in computer insanity. All i know is that i am using an acer computer to write emails. can you top these madd computer skills? welcome to the future baby!! Anywho, i just finished my dive course. The last 4 dives were in the Great Barrier Reef. It truely is amazing. Just like you see on NAture/discovery television and such. I saw sharks, stingrays,huge sea turtles, eels, lionfish, clownfish, kettle fish and a ba-zillion others within about a meter of my face. Really exciting and a tiny bit scary. Breathing and moving underwater is also very unique. It feels like being in space....360 flips or just hovering in mid ocean is quite possible. The best part of being down there though is being ... read more