#prodivecairns

[miko2188]

#early #morning #divebriefing with #prodivecairns #awesome #trip #thx to the team (hier: Great Barrier Reef) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsphpO5FVro/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fde18i67awxp

[mytuesdaysgone]

Sharks & Glow Sticks

Bad News:  Paleo Diet suffered a massive blow in the past week...complete and utter failure, by way of "biscuits" (cookies) and frequent greasy boat-cooked meals.  "Do not pass GO.  Do not collect 200". However, it was a successful Day 1 back home in the Gold Coast. Sigh.

Good News:  It was one of the best trips of my life!  Not only am I now PADI certified for scuba diving and can go anywhere in the world (next up: Fiji), but we had such an incredible experience in Cairns and on the Great Barrier Reef with Pro Dive Cairns -- definitely the best in the business.  After completing a few days of classroom and pool courses at the local facility, we loaded up on new scuba/snorkel gear (mine is so cute - all black and pink!), and boarded our 40-person yacht for 3 days and 2 nights on the Great Barrier Reef.

Though my paleo-fail-of-a-diet may have contributed to significantly more buoyancy, I was able to complete 9 dives (Doug had 11) in the 3 days. It was AWESOME and I didn't even screw up my other ear!  (Phew.)  Aside from the crystal clear waters and breathtaking coral, we saw hundreds of species of fish (yes, lots of Nemos!), sea turtles, barracudas, 5 ft purple clams, starfish, angry Moray eels (gulp), and lots and lots of sharks!  

The night dive was definitely my favorite.  It's pretty eerie to jump into black water, holding only a flashlight and a glowstick.  The blasting techno music from the loudspeakers DEFINITELY helped as we jumped in one by one.  You have a strange sensation that something is watching you down there...something with much better night vision than humans -- didn't love that feeling.  We even went as far as to ATTRACT the sharks by turning off our flashlights and hovering at 6-9 meters under the surface.  They came.  Doug chased them.  I yelled profanities at him into my respirator, to no avail.   We survived...and now I can't WAIT to do it again!  :)

The tour was fantastic -- friendly & energetic Aussie crew (with killer music), delicious food, and we even met some lifelong friends -- evidenced by the fact we stayed out with them in Cairns until 5:30am on our last night in town.  In truth, Doug stayed out until 5:30 -- I had some kind of a chicken schnitzel wrap (??) and was happily tucked in at the hostel before 2...I heard.  (Side note: Does anyone actually know what schnitzel is?  Is there a Paleo version?)

Finally we are back home on the Gold Coast, where it has finally stopped raining and it is nice and toasty.  Looking forward to planning our next getaway to New Zealand in another month.  Send your recommendations, please!

Happy Labor Day, everyone! XO

[chasingawkwardmoments]

I couldn't swim. Not for a lack of trying but a genuine fear of water. Given my fear, it was more than strange to find myself extremely calm 30 meters underwater. My friends were not the only ones who thought I was crazy. I wholeheartedly agreed with their assessment when I signed up for a diving course over the Great Barrier Reefs. The idea was romantic, but to trust my life to an air tank and my ability to not freak out was nuts. My doubts were with me even on the 4th dive, which was the last dive for the Open Water Certification. On that dive, I sat on the ocean floor, looked up and couldn't see the surface. The instructor gave me the signal to take off my mask. I stared at him and felt a wave of fear rushed towards me. The stakes were high. If I fail the exercise, I would choke on salt water, panic and wouldn't be able to quickly get to the surface. The instructor gave me a reassuring pat. With him being inches away gave me tremendous amount of comfort. He taught the pool skills slower than other instructors to make sure everyone was comfortable. He knew my abilities and would never push me beyond my comfort zone. I took two deep breathes and took off my mask. With my eyes closed, I counted to 10, then put the mask back on. It took a couple tries to clear all the water in my mask and when I was finally able to open my eyes, I was greeted with a big thumbs up and a high five. I thought I would do only 4 dives, get certified, cross diving off of my bucket list and never jump into the water again. Instead, on my three day live-aboard trip, I completed 8 dives, gotten Adventure Diver certified and can't wait to go out again for my advanced certification. Friends, if you are interested in learning how to dive over the Great Barrier Reef, can I recommend you to look up Simon at Prodive Cairns? He'll not only teach you how to dive but will make you fall in love with diving.