THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

Finally, after weeks of rain, standing by the roadside trying to get lifts in inbred Hick towns, and generally not having all that much fun, we arrived in Airlie Beach and started the preparation for diving the Great Barrier Reef, essentially the original reason for coming to Australia.

Upon meeting our ridiculous pool and theory instructor we were reminded very much of an old PE teacher, full of false enthusiasm and more than a little bit creepy. Initially we were both irrationally nervous about submersing ourselves in a whopping 1.5 metres of water and staying there. We soon realised its really all rather easy, and started to enjoy ourselves floating around like wet astronauts. Skills and theory mastered we were ready to get in some non-chlorinated water and put our skills to the test!

We set sail friday evening on a 102 foot Mega yacht along with 30 other divers and snorkellers, and 6 crew to wait on us hand and foot! A sunrise start the next day found us underwater with tanks on our backs before we would usually be having breakfast. This was a shore dive at Whitehaven beach, not a scuba location but a good way to get some skills ticked off and our confidence in the ocean up, and we saw our first fish. That afternoon we were back in the water, this time at a coral reef off the shore of an island. Fantastic colous but that was all we could see - my ears refused to equalise deeper than 5 metres, disaster! This meant i would not be able to complete the course, nor would i be able to see anything more than snorkellers. Oh dear. We spent our evening gazing at the sunset from the deck, then as the sun had melted into the water we turned our attention to the Giant Trevally's and Batfish zooming around our boat. Suprisingly they had a real taste for the burnt roast potatoes our human palates declined!

Sunday morning and another sunrise start. We awoke to the sound of the crew, whooping with delight at the clear turqouise blue water, and the fact that we could see for a good 15 metres below the boat. Apparently the water visibility hadnt been this good for months - finally we get some weather related luck! Sudafed administered, gear on and we rolled off the motorboat and into the ocean over the worlds largest living organism, the great barrier reef. We checked our depth gauges with nerves as we swam through the greens and yellows of the coral; 6m, 7m, 8m YES! Sudafed worked and ears (although making ridiculous squeking noises) were ok, no stopping us now! The sights of the reef were of a completely different world, it was like entering Attenborough's Blue Planet, Everywhere we turned there was a fish of a different colour or shape; oddly elongated noses, Neon parrotfish looking like members of a nu-rave disco, darting yellows and blues everywhere, shoals of fish within centimetres of our grasp. It was absolutely fantastic to be down here, and once we had taken in our surroundings we were off on a real adventure dive, through caves and alarmingly thin gaps in the rock (perhaps explaining the meagre breakfast served to us earlier). Just after we had edged ourselves through a precariously jagged section we turned and saw our instructor Tane displaying the sign we had been hoping for - SHARK. It was only small but it still counts! Another dive later that day and a slightly bigger shark, and the happy conclusion that we were now certified divers after demonstrating all of our skills. We thought that was it, but no. Now we were certified we were asked if we would like to go on that evenings Night Dive? Kate looked like she would rather eat her own leg, but the fact that I had decided, despite my fear, that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and her refusal to let me see anything better than her, she was bullied into going.

Sat on the deck in our cold wetsuits shivering with the evenings breeze and more than a few nerves, looking down into the eerie black menacing waters we both questioned whether this was a good idea after all. Climbing into the motorboat and being able to see nothing below the boat, and being told "torches on, see you down there" by our instructor raised our heartrates to dangerous levels, at this rate our oxygen would be sucked dry within minutes!

We took the required leap of faith and rolled in, and we are so glad we did! We could see nothing at all other than the beam from our underwater torches, so slowly slowly we made our way down to 15 metres to the start of the dive. The aforementioned Giant Trevally (40-50 kg monsters) accompanied us, using our torchlight to aid the nightime hunting. More than a few little fish met their grizzly end thanks to my torch that evening, highlighting their otherwise foolproof hiding places to the delight of the Trevallys. Holding onto each other through fear of getting left behind, and whatever may be lurking unseen in the dark we made our way around the coral beds. Our instructor ahd turned a corner when I felt a tug at my arm from another member of the group alerting Kate and I to the presence of a turtle bigger than both of us! It was absolutely enourmous, a stunning sight rising up off the sea bed and slowly, gracefully gliding over our heads within touching distance. An absolute dream come true! As our oxygen supplies depleted and we neared the end of the dive I thought that was it for sightings that day (numbering 7 turtles and 4 sharks in total), when my eyes met another pair of steely cold grey ones, belonging to a 6 foot reef shark. Earlier reassurances that reef sharks are harmless were out of the window, our eyes had met and i felt sure he could sense my fear! He was perfect, sat in the shadows waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting fish (or wetsuit-clad human...). An amazing end to one of the most unforgettable experiences of our lives!