Survived the sharks

Arrived back in Cairns yesterday after three amazing days out on the reef discovering a sub-marine world that is truly spectacular! In total I had 5 dives. 4 training dives that required 10 minutes of practicing skills and then an underwater tour admiring the scenery until we hit the critical oxygen level and needed to begin our ascent and return to the boat. My final dive was my first as a certified diver and my diving partner and I had to navigate and take care of ourselves.

It is impossible to describe with words everything that I witnessed, but some highlights included a couple reef sharks, a 6-foot wide turtle, 4-foot oysters, rays, baracudas, nemo fish, every type of coral under the sun and too many fish to every name!

My ears weren't great but cooperated enough to let me get 5 dives in. On the 6th, which was a nightdive with flashlights in hand and glow-sticks on our tanks, I wasn't able to get my ears equalized past 4 meters and had to surface. Ears felt funny all night and the next morning so I decided to sit out a few dives yesterday morning because I was worried about flying today. Ears are still feeling a little plugged up but the flight wasn't painful at all.

I'm still having trouble getting used to being on land. Whenever I get up from a chair I waiver a bit as my legs are used to compensating for the ocean's rocking. This evening I called a Polish freind I met in Tasmania and we had dinner together and she gave me some recommendations for things to do and see here in Sydney. Six more days here and then it's a lovely 13 hour direct flight back home! Where have the past few months gone?