Cairns, Australia: Great Barrier Reef (October 2013)

When you mention that you’re going to Cairns on a tour of Australia, the first response is “are you diving the reef?” YES, WE DID!

If you know me at all, you know that water sports are my primary hobbies. I’ve been an avid swimmer since a young age, and 90% of our family vacations included packing snorkel gear as far back as I can remember. I spent the last 5 years living in Los Angeles, and the only place in that city that felt right was seaside where I developed an addiction to stand up paddleboarding. So with that background you can understand why the Cairns/Great Barrier Reef portion of this adventure is something I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time. I always wanted to get PADI certified to dive, but something always came up whether it was time or money. Just never came together, but now that I’m here, at the best of the best… game on.

We booked our first tour with Tusa because from what we kept hearing “all the groups are good, but they are the BEST.” So go big or go home! We left the dock at 8am taking about 1.5 hours to reach the reef. The time flew by because we were part of the intro to diving briefing for the majority of the way. As the boat powered closer, we suited up. Although probably not necessary, everyone wore a short wetsuit to keep warm in the water. I hate wearing wetsuits, but I hate being cold even more, so no complaints even though the water was warmer than I expected. Honestly, I was nervous. I had built this moment up for so long that I wasn’t sure what to expect anymore. Tanks attached, the boat dropped anchor and we took our first step into the clear turquoise water. Immediately I felt my body tense up. Oh no! I always thought of diving as my dream "extreme sport" hobby and now I’m going to hate it and I can’t handle it, blah blah blah… and then I remembered, mind of matter. Calming down I joined the group and started breath. Slowly but surely I found my breath and my place under the sea. The first dive was a little rough. Even just swimming was different or should I say trying not

Second dive was AMAZING. It was exactly what I had imagined and I got the hang of it right away. I loved it, adrenaline was pumping and I could have stayed down there for hours. We were in a new location of the reef at this point so it was a little clearer and well worth the extra dive. We got down to about 40 feet, and saw a reef shark, all kinds of tropical fish and more elaborate coral than the first location. The feeling I got after this dive was exactly what I had dreamed of, loving it and being hungry for more.

Our dive instructor spent 4 years in Thailand as a dive certification instructor and he recommended an Australian owned dive center in the Phi Phi Islands where it’s much less expensive that in the States yet very reputable. So now the plan while we’re in Southern Thailand is to spend a couple days completing our certification (these two dives count towards the full certification!).

Great Barrier Reef, you are my bitch lover! I wish I could explain better how exhilarating this experience really was, I officially feel like I’m doing the trip I’ve been planning for months and dreaming about for years.

Anyone up for some dive trips in the near future?? Let’s go!!