CDC Milln Diving

The dive boat life is sweet. I just got back on land last night, and I am swaying all over, trying to compensate for the movement of gravity that is just not happening. I spent three days on the Kangaroo Explorer, two hours off the coast at the Milln reef. There are about twelve on the boat crew, and twelve of us were divers and snorkellers. We dived four times a day in idyllic spots with anenomefish, cod, sharks, turtles, coral, cucumber, and billions of zooplankton. These folks run this diveboat, five days on, five days off, with a transient population of vacationers, ever floating around a blue sort of innerspace. A few Jacques Cousteau quotes come to mind.

01 On the way to Milln

Diving is a great sport, and though I am not a fan of equipment-intensive stuff, I can appreciate how much like hiking it is. We float around this beautiful reef, playing with the diverse and colourful lifeforms, learning about nature, reveling in her awe-inspiring beauty, occasionally coming back up for a nitrogen break. Coming off the boat, I am tempted to stay here in Cairns, and take the offer of a three-month internship to become a dive-controller. However, this is not the intent of my trip - I could probably learn enough by bringing books on board and simply enjoying life, but my restlessness would drive me along soon enough. A temporary repreive, more of a running away. But this begs the question for me - is this a valid occupation for me, something I could be satisfied doing? Would I ever be spiritually and philisophically restless, or is it the kind of solace that would give me the environment to stretch my legs and mind, while slowly helping people through relationships? Would I just be a quiet weirdo instructor, someone who doesn't fit in with the boat-party folks?

A few minutes from the CBD...

At any rate, I enjoyed myself immensely, and now have upgraded to my advanced open-water course, so I should be able to dive more independently in Asia. While speeding away from the liveaboard on the smaller taxi-boat, I definitely felt like an elf, felt as though to sea was calling me to jump in, to swim back to my 'home'. The mood was sombre, as the few of us who were diving felt we were leaving behind a veritable unexplored paradisical world.

The edge of Cairns..

Touristy meets its object

What happens when my alarm double-crosses me..