THE REEF

Started our SSI open water dive course at Cairns Dive Centre. Transported to their classroom and pool centre on Day 1 and started the theory. Spent the day watching a couple of DVDs, learning about the equipment and how to set it up and then we went into the water. Having done a couple of fun dives before, it wasn't all completely new to me but it was great to go through it all thoroughly particularly as it's been 8 years since my last one! After practising taking out regulators and taking off masks underwater and a bit of buoyancy we ended the day. Met up with Sophie Tomlinson (another A&O lady)and her mate Kate for a big fat ice cream that evening after we had bumped into Sophie by yet another coincidence at the dive centre!

Day 2 more theory and swimming stuff, this time learning what it felt like to have run out of air as our instructor Ruth turned off the air supply. Thankfully we also learnt what to do if that happens. Em and I had great fun being each other's buddy and inventing our own set of hand signals in addition to the official ones. The second pool session ended with us practising our skills again and then a 50 question exam designed for 14yrs and above so not too hardcore.

That night Em and I bought new swimwear, much needed in this bikini clad land, and then headed off to Reef Teach for a 2 hr session and some chocolate TimTam biscuits to learn about all the fish on the Reef and what to touch and not to touch. Golden rule seemed to be if it is yellow, black and white: stay clear. Buzzing with new found marine biological knowledge we hit The Woolshed, a slightly cattle marketesque bar (delightful) with the 2 swedish lads we'd met in Uluru who had just arrived in Cairns and whom we had bumped into in the street. It's truly off the beaten track this East Coast lark. Ha.

Day 3 we arrived bright and early to get on our boat to take us out to the Great Barrier Reef. When we reached our boat we unpacked, lunched and then donned our stinger suits (major jelly fish season right now) and got in for our first snorkel and then dive. It was brilliant to see the reef for the first time, was quite a short dive as everyone was huffing away quickly on the air being first timers down there. The second dive was just as good and I got over-excited and decided to do the night dive as well that evening. The rest of the group doing it the next day on the 5 day course and Em's ears playing up, Ruth and I headed down into the dark depths.

Seeing the Reef by night felt even more like we were invading the underwater world. Red eyes gleam out at you and although the torches you carry are quite bright, I still jumped (or rather jiggled in the water) every time a fish swam past, it's quite creepy not being able to see all around you. Sadly we didn't get to see any Reef sharks, had hoped to but it was still ace nonetheless.

On Day 4, we were up bright and early for a 6am dive and then an 8am dive. The 6am dive went ok until 3 of us had just swam through a coral tunnel and the other 2 didn't appear behind us. One of them had got down to 20 bar on his air (i.e. practically none) and had shot up to the surface with his buddy too fast and without telling any of the rest of us. In the process of looking for Dustin (said airless one) we missed a shark swimming over our heads. He nearly failed the course, Ruth was not pleased, not surprisingly and we were gutted to miss the shark.

The 8am dive was brilliant however and was filmed for our certification dvd. We got to see a turtle and scratch its back, it likes it apparently because it scrapes the algae off its back on the coral so it feels the same as our fingers scratching. It was unbelievable anyway. After that Em and I hopped in for my 7th dive of the weekend and our first dive as certified divers. It was a little scary at first but amazing and we got to see a couple of giant clams which were enormous and stunningly purple.

Really pleased the course had gone so well and I'd found a new activity to love and explore for the future, we headed back to Cairns and for the after-course party with the dive instructors and all the other divers from the boats. Great end to a great course. Well pleased.