Finding Nemo

14th-18th - The Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Before going away I had managed, after much persuasion, to get Mike to agree to do a scuba diving course with me on the Great Barrier Reef. I technically already had my Open Water qualification but it had been so long since I had been diving that I decided to repeat the course again and do the Open Water course with Mike. It was a 5 day course where you spent 2 days in the classroom, doing theory in the morning and pool skills in the afternoon, then 3 days on a boat out on the reef completing dives. Mike was actually quite excited when we started the course, but unfortunately had had an ear infection in the week preceding. Although it was getting better it wasn't quite right and when he saw the dive doctor he was told he wouldn't be able to do the course as it would be dangerous and he wouldn't be able to equalise properly. After much debate we decided that I would continue with the course and Mike would go out on a snorkelling trip to the reef once his ear was better.

There were about 20 of us in the group, a mix of travellers from all over and some Australians. Our first morning we started doing some theory and safety stuff in the classroom. After lunch we got changed and spent the afternoon in the pool. We were split into two groups and our teacher was a New Zealander called Sam. We also 'buddied up' with a partner and I was with a Japanese girl called Naho. We practiced assembling out kit, using the respirator, doing some mask skills and descending, making sure we could all equalise. The next day was a pretty similar set up, but we had to complete a written exam in the morning and we took a trip to the dive shop where people bought some better equipment. I bought a mask as I really struggled with some of the mask skills and clearing it and it actually made it sooo much easier once I had one that properly fitted my face. They explained to us what we needed to pack for the boat and what we could expect to see out on the reef - everyone was very excited about seeing Brian, an enormous turtle who was very old and whose shell was supposedly the size of 4 desks pushed together!!

The next morning I said goodbye to Mike (!) and was collected pretty early to head for the harbour. The boat was really big and had a main living area with tables and chairs and the kitchen, and then several cabins with 2 beds in each and some bathrooms. There must have been around 60 people living on the boat. Outside, there was a deck at the back with benches and all the dive equipment where you would prepare for a dive, and upstairs there was a deck to sit out on and enjoy the sunshine. Now, we had been forewarned about sea-sickness and I was stocked with plenty of tablets. Apparently, because of the design of the boat it was particularly rocky and we were about to discover just how bad the sea-sickness could be...

Once out of the bay the sea got really rough, it was actually like being on a rollercoaster and being sat at the back of the boat out on the top deck there were times when the boat was literally perpendicular to the sea and you were plunging straight into it. Needless to say, people were vomming left, right and centre. The journey seemed to last forever - actually about 4 hours - and I was so relieved when we came to a stop and moored up. Time for our first dive! We got our equipment together and into our wetsuits on the deck on the back of the boat and then did our checks with our buddies. They sign you in and out of the water to make sure nobody is left behind. You jump straight off the back and then use the rope that the boat is anchored with to help you descend to the sea bed. It was only about 10m deep. Once on the bottom we spent 30mins doing some skills and then swam off exploring as a group.

Afterwards we got dry as best we could and had some lunch. We did 2 dives that first day and one session snorkelling. The snorkelling was the first time we saw a turtle!! It was v exciting.

A lot of people stayed up chatting/drinking that night but I was plagued with sea sickness (despite popping the pills) and having thrown up a couple of times already that day and eaten v little, I went to bed at about 5pm!

Because of my early night, I was awake at about 4:30am and as soon as I became aware of the boat lolling I realised I was going to be sick. So I got up and sat out on the back of the boat hoping the fresh air would help. It didn't, but I soon felt better after throwing up and was able to take in the beautiful sunrise. That day we did 2 more dives as a group, this time covering navigation with our compass. I had struggled with one of the skills where you take off your mask and replace it underwater so did this again with the instructor but finally managed it! That meant we had all passed and we had a little celebration on the boat where we received our qualifications. The first dive after lunch we were on our own! Before each dive we had a brief whereby they talked us through a map of the underwater region where we were and gave us compass bearings to follow. Our first dive we managed quite well on our own (my buddy and me!) When we re-surfaced we weren't too far from the boat which I took to be a good thing. We also saw some sharks on the bottom of the sea which was cool. Although we still hadn't found Brian, the giant turtle...

After dinner that night we did a night dive. We were all quite nervous and had a special briefing beforehand as we had extra equipment to deal with such as torches. We had coloured glow sticks to put on our oxygen tanks so we could easily identify our group as for this dive we were back in our big groups. Jumping into the pitch black sea in the middle of nowhere was pretty terrifying but you completely forgot about it as soon as you were in because it was soooo cool! Circling the boat were loads of sharks and we descended to the bottom through them all. It was surprisingly disorientating in the dark - we had done this dive site earlier but I was completely lost in the dark so tried very hard to stick with my group. We went to Brian's lair and couldn't find him, and just as we were swimming away we saw him - this enormous turtle swimming effortlessly and serenely in front of us and up over our heads. It was just incredible. We were on such a high after that!

The last day was spent doing a couple more dives. The last one I took a camera on and realised that underwater photography is much more difficult than I first thought. Saw some Nemo fish and some more sharks. If I was honest I was v glad to be heading back to dry land, having eaten v little and vommed quite lot over the last few days and I felt quite guilty at having left Mike behind!

While I had been away at sea, Mike had done a one day snorkel trip once his ear was better. The company he went with neglected to tell him about the strong possibility of sea-sickness and the scenes Mike described of the boat he was one painted a picture of carnage - people vomiting everywhere, falling down stairs, one man sobbing because he was so ill and nobody being able to take advantage of the BBQ buffet onboard. He saw some fish but I think sadly the overriding memories were of people being unwell... 

Learning to dive on the Great Barrier Reef was an incredible experience. The Pro Dive Cairns course was fantastic, v professional, and my instructor Sam was particularly great, taking time out to help me on some of the skills I struggled with. We saw some amazing sights, the highlight being the turtles, and it is something I will never forget. I also feel incredibly lucky to have gone diving there as it is a site becoming more and more endangered. I wish Mike could have done it as well as I think he would have loved it - I will make sure he gets his diving qualification in the future! The only thing that ruined it a little was how baad the sea-sickness was. Despite popping loads of pills it wasn't enough, so just beware if you ever go! I'll leave you with some of my pics (although they aren't great!)... If I manage to get any of the turtles from some of the people in my group I'll add them at a later date.