Airlie Beach (PADI)
Trip Start
Jan 2003
1
104
200
Trip End
Dec 2003
Airlie Beach,
Australia
Thursday, July 3, 2003
Break out the champagne for as I write, Kirsty and I are two of the world's most newly qualified scuba divers. Our last two dives were the best yet (cramp excepted) with great weather and intriguing marine life. We were treated to some free underwater education from our fourth instructor of the course which meant we knew what we were looking at and what we could touch. Soft corals and sea slugs feel like nothing else I know and we were even followed by a school of giant angel fish. On the less attractive side, we touched a less appealing anenome and saw a poisonous crown of thorns starfish. In general things went much more smoothly - partly because there was just the instructor, Kirsty and I but I'd also like to think partly because Kirsty and I are improving and finding the whole thing a lot less unnatural.
The course as a whole but it was annoying that we missed a day. not just that it took an extra day to complete the course but that the boat alternates its destination. While this meant we got to go through the Whitsundays and longe on Whitehaven beach twice more it meant that we still haven't seen the Great Barrier Reef like we were supposed to. Given that we were diving and not sun-bathing the allure of the reef was stronger and we'll now have to do another trip. Not that I'm complaining, any excuse to go diving will be gratefully accepted and my prior concerns of scuba diving becoming an expensive hobby are already proving accurate.
