At the beginning of February 2017, I realized a dream: I dived near the Great Barrier Reef, in Australia. I stayed in Cairns for about a week, where I rented an underwater camera (best idea I ever had!). I had already booked in advance a spot (snorkeling and one beginner dive) on a tourist cruise going to the reef. On the day of the cruise, I woke up early and ready to be amazed.
A Bumpy Journey
It took us a little while to arrive to the reef. In the meantime, on the boat, we were taught about fish, about other marine animals and about communication under the water. But big waves were crashing on the boat and making it move quite a lot. After 20 minutes, half the boat was puking or feeling sick (myself included). Not exactly a great idea to ask people to focus on a screen while on a rocking boat and to tell them sea sickness pills are available when it’s already too late (you’re supposed to take one BEFORE the trip).
I managed to keep it together until the boat stopped at the reef. But I threw up just after. I was feeling quite weak. I missed the biology lesson, and I only got a few minutes to snorkel before my dive. Except no, because my dive had been postponed to the next reef, and since I was out of the water, I was told that I should have lunch to be able to digest… My dream day was not going as I had planned, I barely had time to see the reef and I had been sick. I went for lunch, hoping the dive would be nice.
Diving On The Great Barrier Reef (Or Not)
It was not. The equipment was heavy, and the instructor was in a rush and screaming at us (I was with a couple of Chinese people). I panicked. I couldn’t see, bubbles were everywhere, it was impossible to breathe correctly. After a few trials, as I was crying in the mask, trying to hold on the rocking boat, I decided to stop.
The guy who was helping me (not the instructor) was really nice, and the rest of the crew who helped me out of the heavy bottles were very supportive too. One guy told me that it was not the best option to learn how to dive. He told me not to give up on diving, but rather try a real diving center with proper lessons. They created this beginner option on the boat just to give you an idea of what diving is. A good intention, but not the best way to learn.
Snorkeling On The Great Barrier Reef
After that, I spent the rest of my time snorkeling and saw the most wonderful things. There were plenty of fish and plants. I had a blast looking at everything and playing with the camera. In the end, it was not perfect, but it was real and incredible!
I do recommend going, but these big companies do not offer the best experience, in my opinion. On the boat, after the last stop, I spoke with the Chinese woman who I was supposed to dive with. She said that she was scared too, but at some point, the instructor couldn’t wait any longer, and he grabbed her and her husband to dive further.
To see more photos of Australia, you can visit the gallery Australia.
