We are certified divers! We must have done something right because while we were learning and studying (and paid to do it!) we managed to have an absolutely wonderful time! We started with two dalys in the classroom and in the pool, and got to learn all about diving as our instructors, Emma from London and Inti from Scotland/Ecquador, teased us about all the great sights we would get to see out pon the Reef. And they did not dissapoint! It was a rough trip out to the Reef on our first boat "Seaquest," or as the crew called her "Sickquest." We moored off Norman Reef and did our first 2 Certification Dives from there. We had to show that we could get our tired buddy back to the boat and were capable divers. We got to swim around after the skills tests and our instructors showed us some cool sites on the reef - including our first shark and sea turtle! We had a bit of time after lunch for a snorkel around in our new gear and saw another shark, some clown fish, angels, sea stars, colorful corals, parrot fish, and all the other good ones too! We then boarded our live aboard boat "Oceanquest" and took our final exam. That night we got to witness just how crazy the crew was: they turned the lights on off the back of the boat and showed us all of the 2 dozen reef sharks swimming a foot off the surface and then opend the side door and told the certified divers they could dive in! Suprisingly, quite a few did! The next morning led to two more certification dives, and then at lunch, it was declared that we had passed, and got to dive on Saxon Reef on our own. We were a bit more concerned with where the boat was than what was swimming around us, but still saw some beautiful coral, fish and another turtle. That evening lead to ur turn on the night dive and we jumped right in with the sharks, lobsters, shrimp, lion fish, and other eually scary critters of the night sea. No pictures from that, but they will never leave our heads! We decided to do two more training dives to go for our "Adventure Certification" and the last morning dove down to 24 meters (75 feet) and played around with a plastic botle to see the effect of the water pressure, and a green, unripe vegetable that upon surfacing turned out to be a bright red tomato! Because we were so deep, red as a color doesn't make it in the light spectrum, and everything is greens, blues, and yellows. We had to head back to Cairns that afternoon on "Sickquest," a bit less choppy that time and into the harbor with little difficulty. We went out for a few drinks last night with our fellow divers and a few instructors for a bit of a congrats/farewell party and had a good time taking in a different side to these people we had spent the past week with. It was a great time and we have even more great stories to tell when we see you all next. Tomorrow starts with a detour north to Cape Tribulation for two days of rainforest and beach before our drive begins to Alice Springs. Keep checking the site for more updates and make sure to leave a message with your updates as well! Take Care Kate and Rob