Cairns

SCUBA DIVING. Well I am now officially a Padi qualified open water scuba diver. We had two days of classroom theory and pool training. It was actually quite a strange feeling the first time I got in the pool in my wetsuit and with the scuba gear. It doesn't feel natural to breath through the regulator and even at only four metres you still had to learn how to equalise your ears!
After the two days we packed our bags and headed for the Great Barrier Reef. We stayed on the boat for two nights and three days and I did a total of 9 dives. Four training dives with our little group of 6 and our instructor. Our instructor was a japanese guy called Massoa. He was very enthusiastic and funny. Whenever we completed an underwater skill he'd smile and clap his hands and shake ours. Just seemed funnier when you are hovering at 18m water. Our little team (team Massa/ team special needs) bonded quite well. You always did you dives with a buddy - mine was an english girl called Sophie. There was one occasion when I lost Sophie as I didn't realise until she had fl;oated up to the surface and Massoa had to pull her back down. Unfortuantly when we swapped buddies as Sophie and Martin wanted to do the advanced course the same thing happened to my new buddy David. I still think I am not the contributing factor here. It was not because they were both trying to escape me.
We saw lots of colourful big and small fish - including Nemo, giant turtles, Stingrays, lots of coral among many other things . Oh and of course the reef sharks. That was fun!
Night times the alcohol cam out and on the last night we played some starnge party games involving a broom, a toilet roll and a snorkel - don't ask. One of the nights we did a night dive. That was a little bit scary - we did have torches though.
The best dive by far was the early morning dawn dive. Shift change over for the fish. the day fish were emerging as the nocturnal fish (inc sharks) were still about. It was literally rush hour. Amazing.
Now can't wait to dive again. :-)
Onwards as per usual. Next stop Mexico. Are you a Mexican or a mexican't!