#43: Can't resist the reef!
10.23.2018
Today was the most amazing day ever!!! I think I've said that a lot here in Australia but this time I really mean it! It was my second time diving the great Barrier Reef and it was even better the second time around! As soon as I got on the boat, I met our super fun dive master for the day, Shikeera, and made friends with some of the other divers who happened to be from Alabama and Illinois! My dive buddy, Grace (from Chicago), is also here studying abroad but in Auckland, NZ, where I went in August!!
Shortly into the first dive, Shikeera motioned to us that she had spotted something. I couldn't remember the animal signal she was doing but I could tell by how excited she was that it was what she had just told us was her favourite to spot on a dive- a cuttlefish!!! When I made my way over and could see the big guy, he was so well-camouflaged into the coral that I probably wouldn't have even noticed him! It was also my first time seeing one in real life outside of an aquarium!! Speaking of things I've never seen brings me to the second dive, which brought the most exciting moment of my life!! Pictured above is Myrtle the sea turtle!!!!!! After 20+ dives in Florida, the Caribbean, and Australia, Myrtle is the first sea turtle I've ever encountered in the ocean!! He's known for hanging out on that particular reef and is always friendly with divers that come by. After playing with him for a few minutes, we found some algae in between some corals (don't worry, we didn't touch any of the coral) and fed it to him!!! I thought I would cry underwater!!!After an exhausting and thrilling day, myself and my new friends from America went out to dinner on the Esplanade and promised to meet up again to dive in the future! Nothing can bring people together like diving the great Barrier Reef (and being American, of course)!
I dreaded getting out of the water after the third and last dive for two reasons. The first is that I knew it would the last time probably for a few years that I would be there. The second is the heart-wrenching thought that thanks to humans ruining everything, the reef, at least in my lifetime, will probably never be as beautiful as it is in this moment. It is continuously getting worse and will continue to die right before our eyes unless some serious changes are implemented right now.
Keep in mind that I didn't have the red filter you're supposed to use for cameras under water so that's why the colours are mostly blues and greens and aren't very vibrant!
Shortly into the first dive, Shikeera motioned to us that she had spotted something. I couldn't remember the animal signal she was doing but I could tell by how excited she was that it was what she had just told us was her favourite to spot on a dive- a cuttlefish!!! When I made my way over and could see the big guy, he was so well-camouflaged into the coral that I probably wouldn't have even noticed him! It was also my first time seeing one in real life outside of an aquarium!! Speaking of things I've never seen brings me to the second dive, which brought the most exciting moment of my life!! Pictured above is Myrtle the sea turtle!!!!!! After 20+ dives in Florida, the Caribbean, and Australia, Myrtle is the first sea turtle I've ever encountered in the ocean!! He's known for hanging out on that particular reef and is always friendly with divers that come by. After playing with him for a few minutes, we found some algae in between some corals (don't worry, we didn't touch any of the coral) and fed it to him!!! I thought I would cry underwater!!!After an exhausting and thrilling day, myself and my new friends from America went out to dinner on the Esplanade and promised to meet up again to dive in the future! Nothing can bring people together like diving the great Barrier Reef (and being American, of course)!
I dreaded getting out of the water after the third and last dive for two reasons. The first is that I knew it would the last time probably for a few years that I would be there. The second is the heart-wrenching thought that thanks to humans ruining everything, the reef, at least in my lifetime, will probably never be as beautiful as it is in this moment. It is continuously getting worse and will continue to die right before our eyes unless some serious changes are implemented right now.
Keep in mind that I didn't have the red filter you're supposed to use for cameras under water so that's why the colours are mostly blues and greens and aren't very vibrant!
#44: Zipping through the Daintree
10.24.2018
My first time zip lining in New Zealand has got me hooked! As soon as I knew I'd be going back to Cairns, I knew there were two things I had to do: the first was obviously the reef, and the second was zip lining! So, I booked an all day tour through Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest a few hours north of Cairns. Our first stop was a wildlife sanctuary where I held the sweet little koala Rocky and fed some very hungry kangaroos! My day had already been made but it would get even better!
Next stop was Cape Tribulation, a tiny town in the centre of the rainforest with only 100 residents (no electricity other than small generators so most people can't stand living there without AC). After a stop for lunch, it was time for "jungle surfing"! After wandering and zipping through just a tiny patch of the rainforest (upright and even upside down one of the lines), I'm even more hooked! I only took one video so that I could focus more on the surroundings but even the one video didn't turn out well because I was too distracted but the views around me to hold the camera straight!
Next stop was Cape Tribulation, a tiny town in the centre of the rainforest with only 100 residents (no electricity other than small generators so most people can't stand living there without AC). After a stop for lunch, it was time for "jungle surfing"! After wandering and zipping through just a tiny patch of the rainforest (upright and even upside down one of the lines), I'm even more hooked! I only took one video so that I could focus more on the surroundings but even the one video didn't turn out well because I was too distracted but the views around me to hold the camera straight!
#45: A day on Fitzroy Island
10.25.2018
For the last day of my trip, I went to the heavenly national park of Fitzroy Island. I made a friend on the ferry over who definitely wasn't but looked eerily similar to Lindsay Lohan... anyway, back to the island. First up was paddle boarding for the first time!! I managed to stand up a few times, but also fell in a few of those times, too! At least now I know that the waterproof pouch I had my phone in works! I even had enough service to FaceTime my parents while I was on the board to show them! Ah, technology.
Next was a glass bottom boat tour where we spotted lots of coral, a few stingrays, and a couple sea turtles popping up onto the surface for air. Once off the boat, I walked the trail over to the side of the island down to Nudey Beach. No, it wasn't a nude beach but it IS known as Australia's #1 beach! Yes, all of Australia!! They say that you could visit a new beach in Australia every day and it would take over 10 years...and this one was the best!! My guess is that one of the reasons is that there is so much coral that some of it so shallow you can't even swim over without touching it! After snorkelling for a couple hours and enjoying a nice alcoholic fruity drink (don't worry, I'm legal here), I walked away with a bit of a sunburn but lots of great memories from the day!
I finally got a red filter for my go pro which is why these pictures look much brighter than the ones from the outer reef. Plus, I was only snorkelling here and the colours are more vibrant on the surface anyway.
Next was a glass bottom boat tour where we spotted lots of coral, a few stingrays, and a couple sea turtles popping up onto the surface for air. Once off the boat, I walked the trail over to the side of the island down to Nudey Beach. No, it wasn't a nude beach but it IS known as Australia's #1 beach! Yes, all of Australia!! They say that you could visit a new beach in Australia every day and it would take over 10 years...and this one was the best!! My guess is that one of the reasons is that there is so much coral that some of it so shallow you can't even swim over without touching it! After snorkelling for a couple hours and enjoying a nice alcoholic fruity drink (don't worry, I'm legal here), I walked away with a bit of a sunburn but lots of great memories from the day!
I finally got a red filter for my go pro which is why these pictures look much brighter than the ones from the outer reef. Plus, I was only snorkelling here and the colours are more vibrant on the surface anyway.
FYI!
I took an endless amount of photos and videos on this trip so be sure to check out more on my Facebook!!