By Jocelyn Mong
It was an early morning and the #girlgang got up at around 6:45am. It was 20 degree celsius outside which felt colder than the day before. We got ready and headed over to the Swedish Cafe next to The Northern Greenhouse to kickstart the day.
After meeting up with the whole group, we made our way to the pier and boarded the boat with the Reef Experience. The crew treated us well by serving us delicious egg and bacon sandwich and a cup of tea or coffee.The atmosphere on the boat was fun and relaxing. The 1.5 hours to great barrier reef from the pier flew by as they briefed us on facilities on the boat, safety precautions and introduction to scuba diving activities for the day. During the introduction, the crew photographer gave us some tips so he can capture cool underwater snapshots for us. The boat was very well equipped - they prepared food, drinks and even sea sick preventative pills. Midway to the reef, it got a bit rough and wavy so a couple of us went to the upper deck since it is calmer up there. We enjoyed the breeze and the amazing view of the ocean. We also got some suggestions on things to do in Cairns from locals such as good restaurants and cafes to dine at.
Not long after, we arrived at the famous Great Barrier Reef. We were separated into groups and since I am scuba certified, I was assigned to be in a group with other certified divers - Professor Burton, Anthony and Tim. My group was very excited so we quickly geared up to prepare for our first guided dive. With the help of the crew, we checked our oxygen tanks and mentally prepared ourselves. Amazingly, we all managed to go underwater smoothly and our journey began. Some underwater friends I saw were Frank the fish, Nemo and also some sea cucumbers. We followed our guide around the reef. We excitedly pointed to each other when we saw unique sea creatures. The first dive we did was half an hour and the deepest we went was around 12.5 meters. It was a very successful first dive at the reef.
After the first dive, my group met up with the rest of the Cuse team and hung out at the upper deck. We tanned and enjoyed each other’s company. The weather was so perfect that we almost did not even want to leave for lunch. For Lunch, they served us so well with a variety of salad and protein. We got to choose between steak and chicken and they even had vegetarian choices available.
After feeding ourselves with a very satisfying lunch, my group decided to go for a second dive. The four of us decided to go on an underwater adventure unguided. We got basic directions to head to the Coral Gardens. We made it down successfully and our journey began! Following the directions given, (or at least we tried to follow the instructions) we dived and saw beautiful corals and fish. Every now and then we kept each other on track by continuously checking remaining oxygen. Well then the most exciting and fun part happened. I personally believe that we might have got caught up with the beautiful coral and fish underwater that we got drifted away from where we were supposed to go. Long story short, we got drifted too far away from the crew boat. Luckily, a speed boat came to our rescue and we safely got towed back. It was a wild but amazing experience. I am more than honored to have the chance to dive with professor burton and two great friends i met here. It was a great day spent at the great barrier reef. After drying up and packing up, we enjoyed some cheese and crackers and had the chance to relive the moments by looking at some beautiful underwater pictures taken.
After the long day, we were all starving and very ready to stuff ourselves with food. We went to Imm Thai for Thai food and I was actually surprised with the quality of food at Cairns. We chatted and laughed over the dinner table.
Today has been a very successful and relaxing day full of joy and laughter!
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