Our dear friends traveled with us and while Mike and I got certified Hannah and Mason got to partake in the various adventures Cairns has to offer with our friends and a darling college student. They ziplined, went to a movie, ate McDonald's (more than I'd like to admit), went to a waterfall, got to fish in a river and swam in the famous Cairns Esplanade Lagoon. While the kiddos played it up, Mike and I were deep in the throes of learning to breathe and swim under water.
One may assume that scuba diving maybe easy to master but that is definitely not the case. On Friday we arrived at a PADI dive center for our closed water training (in a pool). (Mike and I completed our PADI learning online prior to leaving for Cairns.) We were mentally prepared for what was about to happen but the physical test was about to commence.
Our dive trainer was very nice and immediately gave us a test to take that pertained to what we learned online. After passing it, it was now on to getting our equipment fitted and getting in the water. Before getting suited up Mike and I had to complete a swim test. We both had to swim 300 meters and then float for 10 minutes. That was fun but set the tone that this sport is not for sissies.
Once we finished the swim test it was full-on. We got into the pool with, what felt like, 100 pounds of equipment. It was HARD! The process of acclimating and telling my brain "it's ok" and "you will not drown, calm down" was overwhelming. After 3 and a half hours we passed our closed water training.
We tiredly walked back to our hotel and crashed hard that night. The next morning came early and on our way we were to attempt our open water training (in the ocean). I have to admit, I was nervous. However, the thought of scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef made it more exciting. We snorkeled the Reef last October but this was going to be a different adventure.
The large boat was stuffed to the brim with locals and travelers from all over the world. After an hour or so boat ride we made it to stop #1. It was time to jump in. It was like I instantly forgot everything. It was very busy and chaotic. We jumped in and had to release air from our BCD and allow the heavy weights around our waist bring us down (holy crap!!). There were flippers, poorly trained divers and snorkelers everywhere. I was able to equalize the pressure building in my ears but the other divers-in-training had a more difficult time. The chaos finally lessened and we then had to complete several tasks under and above water. One of the tasks is completely removing your mask underwater, putting it back on and then clearing the water. It's amazing how removing one or more of your senses heightens the others and fight or flight kicks in. After 4 dives and 2 days of scuba diving we all finally completed our required tasks.
Our last 2 dives were more relaxed as we had more of a handle on what we were doing. The fish at the dive sites are very accustomed to humans and are very friendly. I would be swimming along and all of a sudden there is a huge "Wally" fish right in my face -- freaked me out! But nothing prepared me for the sharks. Yes, sharks!! And the barracuda! Yes, barracuda!! The barracuda was a little too interested in us so we surfaced and got out. The sharks weren't aggressive but intimating as heck!!
As I got more comfortable the more I was able to really take in really what I was doing and where I was. It was an unbelievable and magical moment. The bubbles from all the other divers caught the sunlight from above sparkled and the colorful coral and fish were just so perfect -- it was very surreal.
Our mini-vacay ended and, again, we were off back to the mountain but not until after a cancelled flight and additional night in Cairns. Again, props to my amazingly patient kiddos.
Finally arriving back on the mountain, the Ball and school play went off without a hitch and I am really looking forward to some downtime and holiday time. In two short weeks, right after Christmas, we are headed to Tulamben, a fishing village on the north-east coast of Bali. Where we hope to dive two ship wrecks and snorkel with the kiddos.
As always, to be continued....
