The Great Barrier Reef

For three days and two nights, Dana and I stayed on a boat cruising around the Great Barrier Reef. This was a scuba diving trip run by Pro Dive out of Cairns. Details below.

On the boat we had 33 divers or divers in training, 1 cook, 1 dive planner, 3 dive instructors, 1 skipper and 1 Gilligan. You would think that the boat would be crowded, but there was an incredible use of space. We were in one of only two double bed rooms, while all of the others were bunks, but the boat never seemed crowded. The top level had an outdoor area, some rooms, and the skipper's room. The main level had the dive equipment out back, the mess hall with kitchen and tables, and more rooms. There were more rooms below deck as well. Exhaustion from the number of dives we did may have prevented anyone from getting too stir-crazy.

We did 11 dives in three days, two of which were night dives. We saw sea turtles, sharks, jellyfish, moray eels, sea snakes, giant clams, stingrays, prawns, painted crayfish, hermit crabs, shovel-nosed rays, and twice as much coral and fish life as you could see in Finding Nemo. Most dives lasted between 30-40 minutes, but the wet suit and gear set-up was what was tiring. We slept well on that rocky boat. Speaking of rocky, the ride out to the reef hit some sea-legless folks hard. Over half of the boat was spewing over the side for a few hours. Dana and I kept it together, luckily.

The food on this trip was incredible. No none was ever hungry, and the quality was superb. Craig added his own special spices to the menu... you'd be very surprised how good food cooked on a boat for 40+ people three days out at sea can taste. The meals were not the only well-run part of the trip. Tristan, our dive planner, clearly outlined our dives, pointed out what was worth seeing and made sure everyone knew what was happening. Don't be thrown by the photo. The skipper, Fozzie, filled us in on yachting stories during the day and challenged us to broomstick competitions at night. The videos of me and dana will explain... a bit.

While the days and nights (and mornings) were exhausting, it was well worth it. Not everyone did the full 11 dives, but we're both glad we did. Even the night dives were worth the struggle. Dana was nervous the first night, jumping into a black sea when no light is visible except the moon and stars... and the first thing we see is a 3 meter (9 foot) shovel-nosed ray on the ocean floor. The little eyes poking out from the shrimp on the rocks were more calming, but the next night was even more exciting. As we geared up, bread was thrown of the back of the boat, sending many large fish into a feeding frenzy and also setting off a number of white tip reef sharks. The sharks were circling, with their fins piercing the surface of the water, as we jumped into the ocean. Of course none of them bothered us. We bothered everything instead.


The Great Barrier Reef Photos