Exploring the Great Barrier Reef!

Ok - a bunch of us shared photos. I unfortunately did not get this close to a turtle. Darn.
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I didn't realize when I flew into Cairns that is would be so lush and green. It is known as the rainforest part of Australia and it was super humid there. Cairns itself is a sweet little touristy town. There are no beaches in town (you have to drive a way out of town), and the town is actually built on a swamp. But, accessibility to the reef definitely makes up for what it lacks in beaches.

I was really excited to explore the great barrier reef and I decided that there wasn't a better option than scuba diving. Therefore, on a friend's recommendation I signed up for a 5 day scuba diving certification program in Cairns.

I hope I'm not shark bait!

Cool piece of coral.
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Well, I kicked off my great barrier reef exploring with 2 days of pool and classroom training. Basically we needed to learn the theory about the sport before they threw us in the ocean - which was ok with me. I didn't actually realize how technical it is to dive. There are restrictions on the depths of your dives, how long you can stay down in the water for, and when you can dive again. I felt like I was back in highschool in physics class converting equations to figure out how much nitrogen is in my blood after diving at certain dives. But, after quizzes and a final exam we would pass the theory component of our certification program. But, of course there is a hands-on side to the training. Basically we learned about our diving gear, how to work it, and how it all fits together. It's actually quite heavy (thank god for buoyancy in the water), and expensive. You wear over $3000 worth of equipment. Yikes!

Same with the shark photo - borrowed property. I saw one - but it was far away - which was a good thing in my eyes.
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Skills we learned at the pool included taking our regulators (the important breathing apparatus) out of our mouth and replacing them under water, being neutrally bouyant (not rising or sinking under the water), taking all our gear off and on, having our air shut off and using another person's additional regulator, and making safe ascents and descents in the water, and my personal 'favourite' - flooding the mask and clearing it under the water. Yuck!

The first few moments were pretty scary when we started our pool training. The fact that I was actually under the water breathing was so weird and freaky - mostly because I had only snorkelled before. But, we were in the shallow end of the pool just practicing 'breathing' and I got more comfortable with the fact that I would be doing this A LOT deeper than a few feet below the surface.

Cool shot of a manta ray floating around at the bottom.
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After 2 super busy days in the classroom in Cairns - we headed bright and early to the boat where we would spend 3 days. There were 9 of us getting certified for diving, and another 20 people already were able to dive in the ocean, plus crew on the boat.

For the first few dives we were with our instructor and were practicing what we had learned in the pool in the ocean - plus we were going a lot deeper. It was hard a first to equalize the pressure in my ears - but I managed and made it down to my maximum allowable depth of 18 metres! Now, we were dealing with a current, salt water (more reasons I hated the 'flood the mask' drill), and sea life. It was super cool to see fish and coral on a different level - as snorkelling only allows you from above. Now, we were entering the sea environment.

This is a shot of trigger fish. (evil...and mean!)
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By midday on day 2 we were all certified divers! Yeah! Meaning we could all dive with a buddy on our own without an instructor. This day was a busy day as we fit in 4 dives (averaging around 40 minutes each). But, the best thing about the trip was the food - man basically the day layout was: dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, bed. And, the food was amazing too. But, well deserved for having to put all our gear on that many times (which was a process in itself) and get up at the crack of dawn!

This is a shot of a trigger fish attacking you. Scary times!
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On cool thing we did on day 2 was a night dive - where we all went diving when the sun had set. Eek! We all had flashlight and glowsticks on. Our instructor did take us out on this one - and it was cool to see the sea at night. Everything basically goes to sleep - but some things come out as well. I missed the shark (I got teased as I was the only one who missed it!), but I did see a turtle.

The trip was amazing. And, I can't wait to dive again (and get certified to dive to 30 meters) - I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves the ocean. The great barrier reef is great for a reason (and it's the only living thing you can see from space - just a geeky side note!).