Today was a bucket list day.
Diving and snorkeling The Great Barrier Reef was incredible, one of the
coolest experiences I have ever had. I
have so many words and so many feelings; I guess I have to start
somewhere.
Syd and I booked a boat tour with Seastar cruises earlier
this week. After some quick research we
found this tour in particular went to a Michaelmas Cay and Hastings Reef. Michaelmas Cay is a very popular destination
with reef goers. It is fairly close to
the shore and features a small sandy island, good for families and little ones.
Hastings Reef is a little more exclusive
for a few reasons that I will not go into, but our tour was the only boat there
during the afternoon. This made for a
better experience, given there were only about 30 people on our boat.
Maybe I should start at the beginning. Our boat left from a marina just outside
Cairns around 8 p.m. It was a good hour
to get out to Michaelmas Cay, but I did not realize it because the crew kept me
busy filling out paperwork. I made the
decision beforehand that I wanted to do an introductory dive. No experience was necessary and I thought what
better place to try it than The Great Barrier Reef. After the paperwork, the other divers and I
had a training course on certain skills and knowledge that were required before
getting in the water. It was quite
intimidating as our instructor explained all the risks, but he seemed confident
so I just went with it. There were six
of us doing introductory dives and we were split into two groups of three.
Because I was in the second dive group, I had a few minutes
to snorkel upon arrival at the first destination, Michaelmas Cay. Syd was only snorkeling so she left
immediately with a group on a snorkeling tour.
I had to stay close to the boat so I couldn’t actually see the reef yet,
but there were a few curious fish circling the boat. I will never forget the feeling I had when I
saw the colorful tropical fish swim a couple feet from my face for the first
time. I was in their home.
After a few minutes the crew summoned me and the other two
in my dive group to get us ready. We
already had on our stinger suits, required for all snorkelers and divers. I actually did not mind having the suit
on. It held everything in place and gave
me a peace of mind. The suits are
designed to cover all parts of the skin, complete with little mittens and a
hood, to protect from any type of jellyfish or other venomous sea life. I sat on the steps while they strapped all
the additional equipment in place required for diving.
When it was time to enter the water my heart started
racing. This was the moment of truth,
the last chance to chicken out, because once I entered the water there was no
refund. I jumped successfully and swam
over to a rope attached to the bottom of the reef. The rope is where we practiced the skills we
learned onboard. We had to master the
skills before actually diving. I had one
moment of panic the entire day, and it happened here. We had to intentionally remove our oxygen
mask thing (no idea what it is really called), throw it to the side, find it,
empty it of water, and then breath through it again. It is a necessary skill to know in the case I
would be diving and happen to lose it somehow.
During the skill I did not feel like I had enough oxygen so I panicked and
headed two feet up to the surface. The
psychology of it all was scary. I knew I
was fine while training because I can always reach the surface, but what would happen
if I panicked during the dive? Probably
nothing life threatening because there were plenty of trained professionals
around, but I didn’t want to be that person.
I collected my thoughts while the instructor was training
with another guy in my group and said a little prayer. My next turn up went much smoother. I was able to breathe better and concentrate.
Once all three of us had gotten the
skills down, it was time for the dive.
The first couple minutes were slightly terrifying if I am being
honest. Since it was an introductory
dive we weren’t required to swim on our own; we held onto the instructor as he
led us. That was a good thing because I
was busy trying to get the hang of breathing under water. It is more of a mental challenge than
anything. Once I got a handle on it, the
realization was quite amazing. I was
swimming with the fishes of the Great Barrier Reef. I was an intruder in their home. It was a little scary at first until I
realized they were not fazed by me. They
went about their lives, not even bothering to move for us. We meandered along for about twenty minutes,
drifting in and out of underwater valleys in the coral. We floated horizontal to the peaceful sandy
seabed. The instructor got us up close to giant clams and small sea anemones
that Nemo lives in. He pointed out tiny,
colorful fish hiding in the coral from bigger predators. I saw starfish, coral, and other colorful
creatures. I could go on and on. Everything you see in the movies and documentaries
is true, and I found myself face to face with it all.
After the dive we had about 40 minutes left to join the rest
of the group in snorkeling. After a
quick break, I found a figure that looked to be Syd and swam out to join
her. As amazing as the dive was, I was
glad to have a chance to snorkel with her.
Snorkeling was just as cool as the dive but in different ways. It was great to be able to do both. Before we left the Cay, the crew served us
lunch. We had close to another hour on
the boat and it was a good thing because I needed the rest. The dive instructor came around and asked if
we would be interested in a second dive.
Hastings Reef is a little different because it is less sandy and rockier
than Michaelmas Cay. He said this would be
a better overall dive than the last one, and we would be able to swim on our
own. I was a little bit on the fence for
a couple reasons, the main reason being that my left ear was uncomfortable during
the first dive and I did not want to push it.
I really wanted to dive again though because I figured I could enjoy it
more since I had gotten the hang of it.
I decided to go for it and before I knew it, I was in the water ready to
begin my second dive.
We followed the rope down to the reef wall. Before we made it to the reef, I found myself
surrounded by turquoise blue water, clearer than I have ever seen before. Looking back this is a situation I might have
been scared by, but I wasn’t. It was
more peaceful than anything. The deeper
we went the more my ear hurt, but I was not going to let that ruin my
dive. The feeling of swimming and
breathing on my own underwater through the canyons and valleys of marine life
is indescribable. I began to feel like a
part of it all. My euphoria quickly came
to a halt when I felt my ear pop. I
remember feeling it and thinking to myself, “That can’t be good.” I finished the dive, but I immediately knew
something wasn’t right.
When I got back to the boat it felt like there was a ton of
water in my ear. I went to the toilet to
try to get it out, but instead of water, it was blood. Not a ton, just enough
to know something was definitely not right.
Oddly enough I never really panicked.
I asked a crew member and they did not seem too concerned but mentioned
I might want to get it checked out before getting on a plane. So that is exactly what I did when we got
back to the hostel. I heisted for a few
minutes, trying to access the situation.
Was it really bad enough that I needed to see a doctor? Was I making it out to be something it wasn’t? The pain had eased some, but my ear still
felt muffled. Syd and I decided it was worth
a peace of mind if nothing else so we headed to a 24 hour quick care clinic,
Australian style. I was more concerned about not making it home, than the
condition of my ear because I knew most likely it was not serious.
At the clinic, I was told upon arrival it would be an hour and
a half wait. Only one hour and $75 later
I was leaving the clinic, paid up, with a prescription in hand. The diagnosis, I had punctured my central
eardrum. It was not the best news, but
it is something I am still able to fly with.
This is fairly common with divers.
It can heal on its own in 4-8 weeks.
The main concern is infection so the doctor gave me some antibiotics,
recommended I check in with a doctor in the states, and sent me on my way. Easy enough.
The experience with Australian healthcare makes me dislike American
healthcare that much more. It was cheap,
quick, and hassle free.
Despite the ear damage, I have nothing bad to say about my
experiences today on the reef. It was
still incredible and I would still do it again.
I love that I was able to share the experience with Syd; it is something
we will always remember. I probably should
have paid more attention to the ear pain, but I honestly thought it was a part
of diving. The situation is no one’s
fault really, just a risk that comes with it. High risk, high reward. I am happy too, that nothing more serious
happened. I learned today to not give up
just because something is scary, listen to your body, and be thankful for good
health because it can be gone in an instant.
I continue to be blessed even in unfortunate events.
No comments:
Post a Comment