Reef Trip #2 and DR Wrap-Up

Last weekend I had my second experience on the Great Barrier Reef, and it was as fantastic as the first! We arranged to spend our open Sunday on the Reef- we booked as a 27ish person group on a ship that held over 100 day trippers. The ship took us out 60 nautical miles to two different locations. I had arranged (along with a lot of the other students) to do an 'intro dive' as well as snorkeling. The intro divers were split into several groups and I was in a later group so I went snorkeling first. I was a little gutsier this time around and was more willing to hold my breath and go under than I was in the Whitsundays. The fish hanging out in the reef were a little different from the Whitsundays too- individual fish were the same, but instead of schools of large yellow fish, there were schools of tiny sparkling blue fish. Cool all the same. After some snorkeling, my scuba diving group was called up. We had received a basic briefing on techniques and what the 'tests' would be.

They just strapped the gear on us, helped us sit down on the back of the boat, our instructor popped out of the ocean, told the four of us to put our regulators in and had us jump in. We knew from the briefing that there was a bar for us to hold on to right under the ship. The first breath under water was so weird, as were the bubbles that came out of the respirator as I breathed out. We were warned to not hold our breath under water- because of the pressure on the air in our lungs- I think it also helped me stay calm to keep taking slow breaths. We hung on as the instructor had us do the 'tests'- what to do in case water got in our masks and respirators. Then we were asked 'the $60 question'- an okay sign to keep scuba diving (or get a refund and just be charged the snorkel price). Of course I said okay- it was too cool to back out.

We started off with the instructor in the middle with the 5 of us linking arms. This was because it was a little difficult at first to control our buoyancy at first- the tanks made it all a little strange. After a few minutes, and although Elizabeth on one side of me kept sinking, our instructor let us go, and motioned for us to follow. It was unbelievable to stay underwater for 30 minutes, just slowly paddling around with our flippers. We got to touch coral (carefully) and the sand on the bottom of the ocean. We probably went 8 or 9 meters down. The dive company had an underwater photographer, and we posed next to a giant clam and an anemone with Nemos. When we were getting to come back up, I really didn't want to and would have rather stuck around under the boat- tons of fish were just hanging out where it was warm. Plus, the tank was a lot easier to handle when I was in the water.

I'm pretty sure this is me...

The second site one of the staff guys gave a snorkeling tour- image 50 or 60 snorkelers swimming after one guy with a lifesaving tube- which acted as a kind of tour 'umbrella' to gather us all. It was totally worth following him around like a... guppy? because I got to hold two sea cucumbers (image a giant dark cucumber, except an animal), one of which was spiky. I also volunteered to stick my hand in a giant clam (I wasn't really thinking...). The tour guy swam down to the bottom with my and stuck my hand in- the giant clam (a meter long?) shut. Don't worry, it didn't hurt. The inside of the clam is made of soft muscle, so it just felt velvety and creepy. All in all, the day on the Reef was a huge success!

This is Spencer, one of my fellow students, next to Wally. Wally is a Wrasse who hangs out at the second site. I got to pet him when he rammed up against my legs when I was sitting and putting on my fins. Don't worry- doesn't eat humans.

As for the rest of the week, the Directed Research projects have been in full swing. I was finishing up the rough draft of my 25 page paper early this week, prepared a 12 minute presentation, gave the presentation yesterday and I just turned in my 'final' rough draft. The real final draft is due tomorrow. What I really can't believe is that in a week from now, I'll be done with the program and traveling in Sydney!