Today, I would be sailing on The Osprey out to two different dive locations on the Great Barrier Reef in search of finding Nemo, a clown fish. Gray clouds followed us and rain came intermittently thereafter as we did the 1.5 hour trip to the first dive spot. The turbulent waters made seemingly mundane tasks like walking, sitting, changing clothes, or using the restroom quite an interesting experience. Most of the passengers were seasick, myself included so we found ourselves either out on the deck getting fresh air or inside seated with our heads down on the table. However, many of us decided get our minds off the up and down sloshing of the waves and our stomachs and rent stinger suits in the off chance jellyfish were present at any of the dive sites. These blue wetsuits covered you from head to toe and also served as sun protection, a good thing for this white girl.
Getting into these wetsuits was an adventure much like putting on pantyhose, wet pantyhose while Salsa dancing. Add a turbulent boat to the mix and you would have a bunch of partially blue people hopping around a deck on one foot trying to get into damp, blue wetsuits without falling over. One tends to bond with people when you both look foolish and keep bumping into each other. That’s how I got to know a young lady from Switzerland who ended up being my snorkel buddy for the day.
The cloud cover dampened the visibility at the 1st dive site so I had to dive down to see the reef. However, I was able to see a small shark but no Nemo. It was the second dive site that was spectacular. The reef was very close to the surface so you could hover over the reef and soak in the variety of life, colors, and textures. When the sun popped out, it illuminated the reds, yellows, and purples of the coral even more while causing the blues in the fish in front of me to shimmer as they swam past. At that moment, there were no other snorkelers or divers around me, it was just me peeking into life from another world enjoying this intimate experience.
As I sauntered past, I came to a drop off which had me staring into the blue abyss, reminding me of the boundary Nemo was told not to pass. Like Nemo, I swam into it, which brought me to a whole new part of the reef to explore. The boat crew fed the fish from the back of the boat so we could see them up close. I am amazed at how many different varieties of fish there are just in this one spot! Colors of blue, red, green, black, orange, yellow, and purple filled the water off the back of the boat while a huge Sunfish, Wally, swam underneath. Even amidst the vast variety of fish, I did not find Nemo. However, I did find the entire supporting cast, minus the Great White and a few others.
After the equally turbulent boat ride home, I met a travel journalist from Switzerland what had just returned from a dive who was invited as part of a larger group of travel journalists from Europe to experience Queensland and write about it. She gets to travel at least to ten places a year on assignment all over the world. How cool is that? How do I get in on that? J
While this was a turbulent day on the Pacific Ocean, it was the experience underneath that mattered most. And although Nemo was not found today, so much more was discovered – a unique and vibrant underwater world.
Walking back to the hotel with salty wet hair and a soggy towel, a warm shower and clean clothes was a welcomed end to this day.
Scavenger Hunt items attempted:
4. Find Nemo in the Great Barrier Reef.
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