Up early and down to the dive centre, CDC (cairns dive centre). I then discover there is a luggage limit and have to leave my bags there and just take my day pack. To which I discover afterwards I should have packed another pair of trousers.
We get the bus to the port and pick up a boat that's taking us on a 2 hr journey to the liverboard. The boat journey was unbelievable... 35mph winds. The boat at one point was on its side and the dingy and boxes tied on board went from one side to the other. The boat at one point was up right as it hit the waves.
One woman was gripping the pants of her cuban or south american husband crying and praying for death I think, she was so scared. Then another woman suddenly threw up in the bin. I got soaked but was still smoking at the back of the boat while gripping with both hands on the bars and just swinging with the boat. It was easier than sitting down. Then I noticed all the brown bags come up as everyone started being sick. At that point I had sat down and actually fell asleep for the last 20 mins. As anyone that has been with me on the bus trips recently or knows from home I sleep anyhwere, any form of transport so this was expected.
We get to the liverboard which from the distance looks like a floating backpackers. It's called the kangaroo express and had everyone's washing tied on the back. It has to be tied because the wind will blow it off.
We are given our rooms... yep bunk beds again with less room. We are then told that our dive briefing will be after lunch and first dive is at 1. The lunch was ok but the dive briefing's were very poor. Luckily there was a great 22 year old called nick who was doing his divemasters, but working it off in the kitchen and he needed to log some dives, so he was going to budy with me. He was a great laugh, but if you said he was from somerset he got really offened, as he was from cornwall. Karen a recently qualified divemaster who is going off to work around the world became a great laugh and is going to give me tips for NZ.
There was also a brother and sister group. She is 32 called trina travelling with her 28/29 year old brother brad. She is a dental hygenist in sydney but the family are from the queensland outback. And yes brad is definately an outbacker. They are however absolutely great and I wish I was there an extra day to spend more time with them as they were so friendly and fun!
The first dive with nick was good we saw a nemo! However I found it dissapointing for what I expected the barrier reef to be like. There wasn't as much fish or colour so I was really dissapointed although i was told this isn't the best rief. The next dive I went with was at 4 and with a swiss girl. She was nervous but we had a good dive and saw a turtle which was great. This was at a different rief as the boat had moved by then. Brad and Trina were snorkerling this trip as she has a cold and he isn't qualified. For em this would make you laugh... my underwater navigation skills need work. I am really good at finding the reef from the map, but boy do I get lost and can never find the boat on the way back. OOOPS! Need to work on that one. I also discovered that my new dive computer can say its 10m deep if in front of the TV... OOPS!
We had dinner and then did a night dive. I had to partner with the chilian guy called franscisco. It was a nightmare. After the last night dive in thailand I was a bit nervous (where rachel put her hand on the sea urchin and we lost the guides). This time I followed a guide, nick came along and buddied with one of the insane aussie crew. The groups didn't leave enough space between the next and you sprent your time swimming upright mostly.
I did see a sleeping lion fish though! But franscisco was all over the shop. He was getting in everyones way, not staying next to me so I had to follow, then I think he got spooked by something and shot to the top and nick and to go after him and bring him down even though we were only 10m.
When I got out karen asked if it was ok, so I told her.
The thing i have to mention about this trip is that it was bloody freezing. We all had a contest on putting on the wet suit. Basically where the wetsuits are stored is right in the path of a cold westerly wind. When you have dried off and are ready to dive you have to go get your wet suit by quickly running down the side of the boat. Find your size and run back. Put the cold wet wet suit on and do this as quick as possible. It's worse on the return as your cold and wet and you want to dry off. The contest was who could do this the quickest without pulling a face... I didn't win.
After the night dive and dinner, trish brad and myself went for a couple of beers up on the sundeck... smokers unite. Then who turns up, nick, neil (instructor), karen and a group of crew including a mad austrailian bloke. We hear all the stories of the crew and what they get up to plus brad's outback stories where as an initiation he gets greased (up the bottom). I won't go into more detail there... as I said typical outbacker - likes his fishing etc! Then neil (who is from england) tells me about the show and he's going to try and get the aussie bloke to put on a free show. The aussie bloke turns out is a professional performer. Ok free show i thought then he started telling me he is famous for his display of puppetry of the penis. What I said I thought they were winding me up but apparently he charges $40 per person and he and another guy do this act in a club. So we get a free night's show.
PUPPETRY OF THE PENNIS (not for parents to read)
This guy takes his pants off and hides behind this fridge. All we can see him do is warming himself up. Next he says get ready and we see the hamburger, the lockness monster, the vagina, the sea enemy (this was the best), the hot dog, the kangaroo (painfull). He knows about 80 different ones and apparently he met a woman that can do the wrist watch and the kangaroo as well. It's a night I will never forget, it was horrific and hilarious at the same time. Trina and I couldn't stop laughing. But boy its a conversation stopper. We couldn't say anything for half an hour... Brad said he wouldn't tell the boys at home as being tough outbackers they may get the wrong idea about him!
After that I went to bed to discover the other girls in my room had locked me out so i had to wake them up. We are being woken up at 5.30 next morning and diving at 6.
Well in the two days there I dived at 1pm 4pm and 7pm the day before and the follwing day 6, 8, and 11. The last two because it was so cold I had to make myself do. But i saw turtles which are aswome dood (sorry after nemo turtles now have that accent). Trumpet fish, sharks, ace coral, clown fish (nemo's), groupers abnd lots more. Those dives were worth every penny.
Then after an hr sunbathing I had to leave. Much to the disappointment of karen, trish and brad and nick, as they thought we could all have a laugh that night as someone's leaving do. Nope I have to go, but luckily the boat trip was a lot calmer on the way back. This time I slept all through it... OOOPS!
When I get back I am in desperate need of chocolate, as worked very hard those days diving, so stop for a latte and hot choc brownie with cream. Definate need of sugar rush. Its now 4 and lunch seems ages ago but who do I see... there's no getting rid of them. Bec and clare again... so we cinema it again. They have seen this already, but like it so will go again. It's the prince and I... basically your roman holiday american style remake. A chick film... okay and just what I needed for then. A no brainer chick flick! After that I say goodbye yet again to them, as they have now found a job in brundy fruit picking.
Posted by alexd at July 1, 2004 02:04 AM