Diving Is My Life...Easter '09

Oh where do I begin. The SS Kalinda was my home for 4 beautiful days as we cruised the outer reefs of the Great Barrier. I can't describe to you the excitement that was building up inside of me before this trip. School and stresses disappeared as soon as I smelt the neoprene. Chad, Wes, Sara, Taylor, Todd, and I all went on the liveaboard dive trip sponsored by the JCU dive club for our Easter weekend. We were promised 14 logged dives and basically the experience of a life time, all of which came true. The boat had character, of course. We arrived at the dock Thursday night to see our boat waiting patiently for our arrival! She was a beauty :) A little used and abused I guess you could say, but I knew she was ready for a good trip. The 6 of us set up camp in "the dungeon" as we liked to call it. It was in prime location since it was basically right below the dive deck. We were woken up in the mornings by the sound of divers setting up their gear at 6 am, what a great wake up call.



I saw so many new things diving in the Pacific! The visibility was great and the weather held up for most of the trip as well. The seas got a little rough when we first boarded on Thursday night and I spewed for most of the night, not so much fun. My worry was that I was going to be sea sick the ENTIRE trip! We could not have that happen so I got some rest that night and took a dramamine the next morning for good measure. I never felt any sickness after that thank goodness.


There was a good crew on the boat which made the trip run very smoothly. We had Dave (Aussie-the skipper), Pete (Aussie-his right hand man), Tomas (French-cook! and deckhand), Ana (Brazilian-assisstant), Aaron (Aussie-diver/instructor), James (British-diver/instructor), Rickard (Swedish-diver/instructor), and Stefano (Albanian-head of dive committee). Every morning before we started diving, Rickard would draw the dive site on a dry erase board and give us a dive briefing about the currents, conditions, etc. We were left on our own for our dives, no guides, just us. It was a really good way to get used to diving on our own and using our navigation skills to successfully make it back to the boat. We did two different reefs every day; 2 dives at each reef. Due to weather conditions, we were unable to make it to the SS Yongala! It is supposed to be one of the best dives in the world. I hope to make it back there though it good time. Each reef was so different and there was lots to see at each. I dove with the group I came with and we all planned out our dives before hand like good divers :) There were 3 day dives and then 1 night dive (This was the plan Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Monday we just did 2 dives and then headed back the the mainland (7 hour trek home!).


Enough about the specifics, let's talk about the CREATURES! I SAW MY FIRST SHARK! It was an out of body experience and I could not get my heart rate down for the life of me. I was basically crying I was so happy. It was a grey whaler shark, similar to a black tip reef shark. It was absolutely gorgeous and it swam right up to Sara and I! I had to fumble with my camera for a bit before I got the picture. Throughout the whole trip we saw approximately 15 sharks (all different kinds!), rays, squid, buffalo parrotfish, sea turtles, sea snakes, etc. You couldn't look away for a second or you would miss something. Overall it was the best dive trip I have ever been on and I can't stop smiling about it! I hope to get more pictures up as soon as possible! I couldn't be choosy for the ones for the blog, the shark should suffice. The food was fantastic, the people were great, and the diving made my life even better. I can't wait to go on another trip! HAPPY EASTER TO ME! Love you all. I wish I could tell you more, but I have said enough. Cheers!