AMAZING EXPERIENCES

Scuba Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

Diving in Australia is the experience of a lifetime and since Sarah had never been diving or snorkeling, it was a must for us to get to the Great Barrier Reef. We flew from Sydney to Cairns to spend a few days on a live-aboard out in the middle of the reef. We immediately made friends when we were on the daytripper boat and were lucky enough to have them join us onboard the Ocean Quest - the big boat that we stayed on for the rest of the trip.

Sarah did her first snorkel and overcame some fears about water and the big fish that swim in the water. She overcame those fears so much that she decided to try diving. Jann took her down for an introductory dive and let me tag along to take photos. She did awesome! She passed all her skills tests and was able to equalize down to 12 meters - something many beginners struggle with. She went again the next day and has officially caught the diving bug.

The visibility underwater wasn't as good this year as it was two years ago. There was something going on with the currents and a lot of sand was getting kicked up from the bottom. However, we still saw lots of great stuff. The most impressive site was when we went night diving. The water was teeming with reef sharks who were using the boat lights for fishing. It was quite impressive. The sharks are about 5 feet long and really have a presence about them. They are truly awe-inspiring. It took a little courage to get into the water when I could see the sharks directly beneath me. :-) We also saw lots of Nemo fish, parrot fish, sea cucumbers, turtles, giant travellies and more.

Living and diving on a boat out in the middle of nowhere often leads to the formation of strong friendships. We made friends with a couple of the dive masters and we established some great friendships with our shipmates. There's something about being on a boat that makes for fast and strong friendships.

Back to Amazing Experiences Index