Sunday, May 20th
Scuba Diving day!
We walked to the pier and checked in. It was all well organized and painless. We boarded our large boat, SilverSonic,
for free breakfast. There were
around 20 snorkelers (Michelle included) 10 beginner divers, and 4 certified
divers (that’s me). As one of four experienced divers, our dives were intimate,
more like a personal tour of the Great Barrier Reef. Our dive master was very jovial and informed. The entire trip was educational and
enjoyable. (Except for the slight
seasickness on the way out. It was
an hour boat ride to the reef and the winds were pretty high even here, so
there were several people throwing up on the back of the boat. I held it together, but I’m sure it’d
be nice to go out again with calmer conditions.)
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| I found Nemo! |
I signed up for 3 tank dives at Flynn Reef on the Great
Barrier Reef. I have an under
water camera that should go only about 3 m (~10 ft) so I decided I wouldn’t
take it on the deepest dive but may try it out on our more shallow dives. Our first dive was at the Coral
Gardens: maximum depth: 20m; length of dive: 45 minutes. We saw Clown Trigger fish, a White Tip
Reef Shark, flat worms, Giant clams, a Maori Wrasse, and a Feather Star.
I loved the giant clams. They were half the size of me and
extremely vibrant.
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| Hawk Bill Sea Turtle |
Nigel (above) was a
Maori Wrasse, a big blue fish that came right up to me. I could pet his soft, smooth
scales. Maori Wrasse, also known
as Humphead Wrasse, are mainly found in coral reefs in Indo Pacific
regions. The males can grow to be
about 2 meters (6 feet). They are
the largest living member of their family.
 |
| Flat Worm (yellow and white) |
I also loved the flat worms. They glide through the water like stingrays, moving with
elegance. They are decorated with
bright primary colors in shapes and patterns that outline their body.
Then we came back aboard and layed out on the front part of
the boat while we were brought to the next dive site: Gordon’s Reef. Our maximum depth was 12 meters, so I
decided to take my camera down, and just see if it worked. Sure enough it did! I saw two Hawk Bill
Turtles, a Green Turtle, Boxer shrimp, Ghost shrimp and Baracuda. I would have never spotted the Ghost
Shrimp, but Sean, our dive master, pointed them out to me on a sea anemone
swaying in the salty blue. They
were microscopic and hardly visible, and yet, adorable (see below)
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| Pineapple Sea Cucumber |
The last dive was at Tracy’s Reef. We went down about 12 meters for 45 minutes. This was my favorite dive because Sean
made it interactive. He picked up
a Pineapple Sea Cucumber and just plopped it in my hands. On their underside, Pineapple Sea
Cucumbers have hundreds of feet, or suction cup appendages used for movement
and food collection and consumption, similar to a starfish. They latched onto
my hand- it felt so funny!
Dive Master, Sean (Check out his cool hair!)
Whale Poop (Not really. Actually another Sea Cucumber)
Leopard Sea Cucumber
When threatened, this specific type of sea cucumber ejects its intestines hoping the predator will attack the gut and not the cucumber. The Sea Cucumber can regenerate its gut after the event. Sean showed us this, and touched the white intestines and then pulled, unable to remove it. It was as strong as a rope. Well, I thought I'd try the same, so I touched it and sure enough, couldn't get it off. I had a moment of panic 20 m (60 ft) below, but managed to get some of it off. It wasn't until I surfaced that it all came off. What an effective protective mechanism.
Brown Starfish
Kuhl Sting Ray
The different levels of coral formed a city of natural
skyscrapers under the sea. We swam
in caves and under archways made by coral. Tiny neon-blue fish socialized by their local hangout, the
Hard Coral Hotel. When I touched
the sea anemone, a soft coral, the clown fish played tag with my fingers. Small black and white striped fish
huddled together in schools for safety.
When you came up, the school would swim into the coral to hide.
Other soft coral that looked like a
small flower made of fans in the shape of a pyramid would suck in when you swam
by. It was fun to swish the water
towards them and watch them contract into the hard coral for cover.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to scuba
dive in the Bahamas, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and now the Great Barrier Reef in
Australia. Each dive is
different. One was a wreck
dive. I loved swimming through the
old rusted doors and looking onto an old ship that is now a home to so many
creatures under the sea. I was
originally going to scuba dive the Yongala Wreck in Townsville. However, due to the weather conditions I wasn’t able to. But if there
is a next time in Australia, I’ll have to make that a priority. The Yongala Wreck was voted one of the top 10 wreck dives in
the world. The Yongala sank during
a cyclone in 1911 with the loss of all 122 people onboard. They say you can still see hand
brushes, silverware and chairs from the day it sunk.
In years to come, I want to plan trips specifically around
dives. There is something about
being under water, exploring something so untouched and alive. Each inch of coral, sand and rock is a
home to another aquatic life. The
millions of moving parts in this under water world make up a magnificent
whole. Each part is important and
so specifically designed for a purpose.
It truly is a whole new world under there. I always dreamt I would someday be a mermaid. This is my way of making that dream
come true. I may not have a tail, but I do have fins and I can breathe under
water, with assistance of my scuba gear.
Monday, May 21st
We woke up early to drive back to Townsville before my
flight at 2. The countryside was
gloomier on the way back, with heavy rainfall. No wonder it’s so green here.
The kindle is a traveler’s best friend. My flight was delayed but I didn’t mind
at all because I was happily in another world with my kindle and ipod. When we did board the plane, I quickly
nestled into my seat, unfortunately not a window seat this time. Sad day. I continued to read until we made it to
Sydney. It was tragic to watch the
sun flicker on the seats but not really be able to see what was just outside
the window. I can only imagine
what the sunset must have looked like over Sydney. It was very painful for me not to be in a window seat. I
made it, just barely, and exited the plane, ready for my long trek back home
via train, bus and then car. Tired
but home, I walked in only to find…. The harp!!! Jerry picked up the rented
harp while I was away and it’s now here!! I was so excited. I started screaming and found nail
clippers right away. I can’t bare
the sounds of long nails on a harp.
Then I tuned the harp. Once
all tuned, I sat down and started to play. This 36-string lever harp has surprisingly full sound. I was so impressed and delighted. My fingers instantly remembered what to
do and danced on the strings, making music to my heart. I was one with the harp. I was
whole. What a perfect ending to a
wonderful weekend of adventure and exploration. I could express those feelings through my music. I let out a big sigh through my notes
and released the songs in my head that had been trapped momentarily. The wheels in my head started turning. I will play this harp on the cliffs at
Curl Curl.
Tuesday, June 5th- I watched my other little ones
during the day. During their nap,
I had a nice quiet time and then Amy came over with the cousins for a play
date. They are precious. 
Wednesday, June 6th – I went grocery shopping for
Emila with Emma’s littlest. She
has the brightest blue eyes.
Several shoppers at Coles stopped to compliment “my little girl”. I let them think she was mine. She’s just so adorable. I also worked on laundry and ironing. 
Thursday, June 7th- I my “other children” and
ironed. Whoo Hoo! I’ve been taking Granny’s advice, and
every day I tell myself that I love to iron. It worked! I
actually like the calmness of ironing.
And it’s an excuse to watch a movie or show while I iron… so it’s not so
bad after all! Thanks Granny!
