Trip up the coast continued

Sailing the WhitSundays

After our overnight bus ride we had a day to relax in Airlie Beach before departing the next day for our "3 Day, 2 Night, Sailing Adventure."  The next morning we boarded what was to be our home for the next three days.  It was my first time sailing, so I was unsure what to expect as I boarded a sailboat that seemed a little too small for 27 people.  We were given a tour of our boat (which didn't take too long) and shown our beds.  I was a little worried at first about the lack of air ventilation on the lower level where we'd be sleeping, but once I saw my bed I discovered that was the least of my worries.  My bed was just wide enough to fit me (good thing I haven't put on weight), but about six inches from the ceiling.  Having a slight case of claustrophobia, this was going to pose as a problem.

After two full days of sailing and snorkeling I managed to become tired enough that I could crawl into bed and close my eyes right away, pretending as if I were somewhere else.  I would fall asleep quickly but then I would awake in the middle of the night and realize where I was.  One or two times each night I had to climb (or rather roll) out of bed, hyperventilate a bit, debate sleeping on the hard wooden benches outside in the rain, and force myself to get back in.  It was a relief when the engine came on each morning at 6am waking everyone up.  The discovery of bed bugs on the second night made me very happy that we didn't have another night at sea.  I know it's bad when I can't wait to once again sleep on a hostel bed.  However, despite my sleeping issues, sailing during the day was great.  The water was a teal blue color unlike anything I have ever seen and the islands were beautiful.

From the WhitSundays we departed on our last full day bus ride to Cairns. After sailing for three days the last thing I wanted to do was set foot on a boat, but our next activity was two days and one night on the Great Barrier Reef (an activity I had been looking forward to my entire time in Australia).  A little speedboat took us on a 2 hour ride to where our boat was stationed.  I boarded the speedboat completely dry and exited it looking as if I had just come out of the shower fully clothed.  The boat was much larger than the sailboat we had previously been on, so I was a bit relieved.  After eating lunch we were given some snorkeling directions and not before long we were in the water snorkeling.  The Great Barrier Reef was amazing, fully living up to my expectations.  It was surreal floating above the reefs as an onlooker into a totally different world underwater. 

After two nights of not being able to sleep, Dan and I were excited when we were shown our air-conditioned room with normal beds, pillows and even blankets (we hadn't seen a blanket in a while).  Our excitement was short lived when they informed us that we had chosen to stay over on a "refuel night"- the one night a month that the boat travels 8 hours to Cairns and back in order to refuel.  As a result most of the night was spent gripping onto the bed in an attempt not to fall off.  The other part of the night was spent attempting to keep the food that I had eaten during the day where it belonged.

The next morning we were given the option to try an introductory dive for $55.  The instructor informed us how she would take us underwater to practice a few things and see how we felt and then once we were underwater for a bit we would then choose whether or not to pay to continue the dive.  Being the cheap (or as I like to say, frugal) person that I am, I decided beforehand that I would try the dive to see what it was like and then cut out before I had to pay (unless for some reason I was having the best time ever). 

We got into our wetsuits and sat down as the oxygen tanks were attached to our backs.  We were shown the underwater symbols to say that we were alright, or that we wanted to go back up to the surface.  We were shown how to hold onto the tip of our nose while breathing out to equalize the intense pressure on our ears.  We were even shown what to do if the oxygen tube came out of our mouth or we got water in our goggles.  Weights were attached to our waist to help pull us down once we got in the water.  Once all the equipment was in place we jumped into the water and gripped hold of our instructor.  She slowly lowered us down under the water by deflating things that I didn't even realize were attached to me and adding weights onto me.  Not before long we were underneath the ship holding onto a bar.  And that's when it hit me...an uneasy feeling that one might call panic.  Here I was under the water breathing through a tube.  The feeling was unnatural to me, and although exciting, not a feeling I particularly enjoyed.  I calmed my breathing down a bit and gave the instructor the symbol that I was doing OK. Now it was time to practice some of the things that we had learned earlier on the boat.  She pulled the oxygen cord out of her mouth and gestured for us to do the same.  There was no way in hell I was pulling that out of my mouth.  I gave her a thumbs-up, the symbol meaning I wanted to go back to the surface.  That was all it took to decide that diving was not for me.  Perhaps if it were free I would have stuck it out, but it wasn't worth it to me to spend the next half hour more concerned about my life than the fish and coral that were surrounding me.  At least I gave it a try.

The last two days of our trip were spent exploring Cairns Wildlife Park and the Daintree National Rainforest (a World Heritage site and one of the largest rainforests in the world).  From others I learned that there are two seasons in Cairns: wet season and dry season.  From my own experience in Cairns I learned that dry season is not completely dry.  It rained our last three days in Cairns, which I guess is alright since two of the days were spent in the rainforest.

Tonight we fly back to Sydney where I will spend my last week before coming home.  It’s crazy how fast time flies.