Scuba Diving The Great Barrier Reef
by Myrna James
FEBRUARY 1998
My dear friend Todd Zimmermann joined me in Australia, straight from the craziness of Chicago's advertising world! Our first few awesome days were in Sydney, with perfect weather of about 80 degrees. We immediately got to cruise Sydney Harbor with an American expatriate and friend, John Birkhold, who invited us to a lovely birthday party for his girlfriend Katie on a private yacht. What an amazing view of the city, the Opera House, the bridge, all the coastline with its condos, lush green trees and beaches, and at dusk the quiet sunset and eventually the lights of south and north Sydney's homes and offices reflecting off the water.
Todd and I flew into Cairns, the center for most scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and stayed at the Oasis Resort the first night. The key feature here was the swim-up bar, which we enjoyed. And with that humidity, it was wonderful to get into the water! After youth hostels, I was thrilled to stay in a nicer resort, though the front desk staff was sometimes uninformed and less than helpful. (It is located in the center of Cairns, at 122 Lake Street. The phone is (61) 070-801-888.)
The next morning, the Cairns Dive Centre (CDC) shuttle picked us up, taking us exactly one block to the store! (We didn't know where it was; we would have walked!) After the staff examined our medical forms and official references from Underwater Safari in Chicago with some degree of skepticism, we were shuttled out to the Sunkist, the boat that would deliver us to the overnight dive boat. I wanted to pick up some snacks for the boat (you know, three days is a long time without crackers and M&M's) so they allowed me to run to a store near the marina. As I was waiting for my sandwich (no M&M's here) a very tall tan guy with bright blue eyes asks, "Are you on the Sunkist?" I'm surprised he knew this, but reply, "yes." So we chat and he starts to walk with me as I'm leaving. Then I realized he was sent to escort me to the boat so we could depart on time for the two hour cruise out to the dive boat!
Diving on the Great Barrier Reef is one of the things I knew I had to do on this year-long adventure. The reef is as beautiful and amazing as I had hoped it would be. It reaches 2,000 km (1,243 miles) along the northeast coast of Australia, closer to the shore at the northern end. It is the largest living structure in the world. In places, it is up to 80 km (50 miles) wide and 500 meters (547 yards) thick. Most of the reef is about two million years old, with sections dating back to 18 million years!
There are over 400 different types of coral, which is a small primitive animal, a marine polyp of the family Coelenterata. The hard corals are the skeletal remains of dead coral made of lime, on which living colorful corals grow. The coral needs sunlight, saltwater, and warm water temperatures, usually not below 17.5 degrees C (63.5 degrees F). An amazing fact is that most coral spawns at the same time, for a few nights after a full moon in the spring. It would be magnificent to watch, when tiny bundles of egg and sperm are visible, appearing to be a gigantic underwater snowstorm! (Source: Lonely Planet, 1996)
We went to the outer reef, where our dive boat, the Coral Reeftel Floating Hotel was waiting for us though already bustling with other divers. The Coral Reeftel is a 26 meter (85 foot) catamaran built as a dive boat, with air conditioning in the individual rooms, a sundeck up top and excellent food, believe it or not! There were 21 people on the boat that first night; only about half capacity, so some of us got our own rooms, I mean bunks!
The Diving Begins
We dove for most of the three days at "Moore Reef" and two areas of "Milln Reef" called "Three Sisters" and "Club 10." The outer reef is considered the "real" reef, because it exists at the edge of the Australian Continental Shelf, where most sharks and humpback whales hang out!
I was feeling fairly prepared, having done the classroom and pool work in Chicago at Underwater Safari. Todd took the same class with the same instructor, Mike Caputo, who did a great job. However, my class was taken in November and I was a bit anxious to do the open water dives to finish my certification. I mean, clearing your mask in a swimming pool and doing it 30 feet under water in the ocean are two different things. Also, the instructor Tom is a NAUI diver and we were PADI, so he had to add us to a class he had already been working with and consult with the one PADI Instructor aboard. (NAUI seems to be the more strict certification, though PADI is well-known and widely accepted as well. In short, the difference on the dive tables allows PADI divers to "go deeper, longer.")
Our two dives the first day and the first two the next were to finish our certification. They went well, with Tom having much patience, especially since he had about a dozen divers in the group, two of whom didn't speak English! (They were Latvians, and friends of the Captain, Igor. It seems that the American cousin who came along on this trip sort-of as translator found himself in a dive course instead of the much-less intense snorkeling he had expected. This guy was not a happy camper. In fact, it became quite a joke how this guy could not seem to have fun. How could he frown so much out there on that cool boat with cool people -us- and a cold VB in his hand?) Our final certification dive was when the boat's amazing videographer Trevor made an excellent keepsake video of us all.
Finally the next day we were able to dive without instructors and I really started to enjoy the diving, the coral, the fish. Learning just a few of the thousands of fish and coral made it more fun and amazing. I saw a huge turtle, many stingrays, a giant clam with its velvety exterior and then defensive posture as I reached out to feel it...and many other creatures. We really had a treat on the last day, when four dolphins swam near the boat, just as I was coming in from my dive. I left my gear on, but used the snorkel to follow them and watch as they played and showed off for us. They stayed close enough to the boat for us to spend about a half hour with them.
Then I saw, swimming slowly directly under the boat, the one thing that makes you realize that your heart is indeed pumping: a shark. It was just hanging out down there, very deep, ignoring us humans with all our silly gear, trying to look natural in its environment. There are about 370 types of sharks, and only 4 cause human injury. In fact, none have been reported at the reef. It's a whole and complete world underwater. When you consider that the world is 90% water, it's a world that you must respect.
We did our first night dive the second night on the boat, without instructors! Todd and I dove with Stephan from Munich and David, an Aussie living in Cairns and working on a day-trip dive boat. They were more experienced divers, which gave me confidence. The dive was eerie but nice, and with all the others in our group down there as well, it was not as dark as I'd imagined. We saw the glowing creatures when our torches were off, and swam around silently, always aware of where our buddies were.
Back to Land
After a total of nine dives, I was ready to head back to solid land. On the cruise back to Cairns, we made plans to meet at the Woolshed. Stephan, from Germany was saying how cool Australia is, that we could scuba dive, then go sheep shearing, all in the same day! We laughed so hard explaining that the Woolshed is a rowdy place for dinner and drinks, not sheep shearing!
We also decided to sample some hearty "bush tucker" or outback food, at the Red Ochre Grill (Creative National Australian Cuisine). We had kangaroo, wallaby, and emu, which was amazing cuisine, presented beautifully with wonderful sauces. They can be found at 43 Shields Street in Cairns, Queensland. The phone is (61) 070-510-100.
Cairns is an amazingly small town considering its popularity with tourists. (Population is less than 100,000.) It is the most widely known starting point for diving, rafting and many other adventure activities, and for many rainforest tours further north. I headed up to stay at PK's Jungle Village in the Daintree Rain Forest for a few days with Todd and Mike, an American Army Captain stationed in Korea, who we met on the dive boat. We took a bus called the Tropic Explorer for the two hour ride up to the rainforest. It was a beautiful drive, but our driver/tour guide offered very little knowledge. His microphone was broken and he had a hard time communicating. I would not recommend Tropics Explorer as your best bet for getting to the rainforest.
PK's Jungle Village was a cool place, tucked into the trees with cabins, a swimming pool and restaurant/bar. It is a nice place from which to explore the area. If you are willing to walk for a few hours, you can take a leisurely refreshing swim in a quiet hidden part of the river, or go to Cape Tribulation, which Captain Cook named the outcropping of land that juts out into the ocean, when his ship ran onto the nearby Endeavor Reef. The Daintree Rainforest is the only one in the world where the forest meets the beach and ocean, and 13 of the existing 19 prehistoric trees in the world are found here. It is the second largest rainforest in the world.
On the way back we stopped at Mossman Gorge, yet another area of the rainforest with waterfalls and such. It's where I spotted this little lizard, who waited about 20 seconds for me to focus my lens on him and snap his profile.
Next stop is New Zealand, after heading to my college buddy Steven Bell's wedding in Los Angeles.
Tuesday, February 24
A QUIET RESPITE IN THE RAINFOREST
I am listening to a tropical rainstorm as it pours with the force of a waterfall onto the tin roof of the hostel where I am staying. It's that warm rain you want to play in, getting soaked through but it doesn't matter because you don't really get cold. It reminds me of hot summer rain in Kansas when my family lived "in town" on Queen Street and my sister and I would play in the gutter, because the rain accumulated there and made a little waterfall where it drained out. I love the intermittent pattering of the rain that becomes background music unnoticed after awhile, the much-anticipated release of the moisture as the air finally gives up and lets it go, and most of all I love the damp, fresh smell.
It is Tuesday, February 24 and I have come here for some peace and quiet, to write and to think. It's a good place for it, I reckon (as the Aussies say so often). I'm in Mission Beach, a tiny little town about two hours south of Cairns. I'm holed up here in a little room at Scotty's, forcing myself to stay inside while the other travelers do their routine: 5:30 free happy hour as long as the drinks last (usually until about 6:00, or about 1 1/2 drinks per person), then move it into the dining area for cheap eats (actually pretty good food for about $6-$10 OZ or $4-$7 US) and another happy hour later. Often up north here in the rainforests where it's so hot, they are in and out of the pool several times throughout the evening and late into the night.
But this time of year it's quite sparsely populated. The Aussies are quick to point out that it's the rainy season, implying that you'd be crazy to head to the rainforest regions now. But isn't that part of going to the rainforest, to experience the spontaneous cloudbursts in wonder? And of course for me, I had no choice. Now is simply when I have to be here on my world tour. In fact, it's been nice that the northeast coast of Australia is not overrun with tourists and crowds. The streets of Cairns were so barren that I dared rent a car to drive down here on my own, on the other side of the road, sitting on the right-hand seat to drive! It's been easier than I thought, driving here. I didn't attempt a stick-shift, as I would have to shift left-handed, but with automatic transmission, it's not so bad. I do keep turning on the windshield wipers when I want to turn left. (The turn signal is at the right-hand side of the steering wheel and wipers are on the left.)
I was deciding to take another bus here, when I saw a whole row of rental car places across from the hotel in Cairns. When you see more than one, you can make a deal, I thought. So I rented a tiny boxy rather ugly turquoise blue two-door, which is a "virtual convertible!" That is, it's a T-top. Driving down was so relaxing and being in a car in control of the wheel was so liberating, after busses and planes and trams for the last month. I had the top down (until it started to rain out of nowhere) and the vent wide open; if it wasn't raining it was so muggy. The Forrest Gump double-cassette soundtrack was ideal for the occasion, allowing me to review the lyrics to "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog" for the next sing-along I encounter. I passed lots of sugarcane and bananas growing along the Cassowary Highway here in the state of Queensland. It is so rural here; it reminds me that there are only about 19 million people in all of Australia. That is less than the circulation of USA WEEKEND, the Sunday magazine for which I most recently sold advertising in Chicago!
The beach across the street and through the park is deserted, which is just what I wanted. I went for a run along the shore this morning and somehow got large blood blisters on both big toes. I have been running on the beach (because I didn't want to carry around my "runners") and this has not happened before... Oh well, they will heal. They always do.
SCOTTY'S HOSTEL
Scotty's is a family-run hostel, with the whole family pictured in the promo piece I picked up in Cairns. They are all very friendly, but the patriarch is the source of all goodness here! Having dinner in their cafe, I recognized him at the grill, cooking away, with a tomato-red apron covering his huge belly. He is a big man, with lots of black hair and horn-rimmed glasses, over which he is constantly peering. And his most endearing quality is that he likes to drink red wine, with the half-empty bottle and nearly full glass right there at the grill! I decided I needed a photo of him, and as I approached, he started to pour me a glass of that shiraz! It must have been my big grin that made him do that! "James Scott" he says. I thanked him for the wine, appreciatively accepting, and asked to take his photo, by which I truly think he was flattered, for whatever reason. We chatted and he convinced me to try his famous onion gravy, and I left feeling as if I'd made a friend, though I promise you if you ask him about me and my website, he won't remember!
Scotty's has clean rooms, effective air conditioning, and most of the usual adventure activities like skydiving, sailing, and walking through the rainforest. I highly recommend it: Scotty's Beachhouse, 167 Reid Road, Mission Beach, Far North Queensland, 4852, Australia. The phone is 011-61-070-966-676.
ZIM AND MYRNA'S AUSSIE EXPERIENCE
(Todd Zimmermann, a good friend of Myrna's from Chicago, vacationed with her for a week or so in February. Following is a partly fictitious account of their activities together in Australia, in "Aussie Speak")
AUSSIE SPEAK
G'Day mates! How you going? For the last week, we have been partying FULL ON! The Aussies and Kiwis we've met have been great to us. They have been buying us pots and even jugs until we are pissed. We must say though, that Todd has been a bit sad because he hasn't been able to watch any footy on the telly. Even after the Packers lost, he is still a footy fan, but it's still a few weeks early for the Aussie Rules season. To deal with this, we went to a barby with great snag, and drank some tinnies from the esky. Why they keep calling us seppo's, we don't know.
We went diving on The Great Barrier Reef, which was great until Myrna had a scare and almost had to share an ockie. No worries, though, she's fine. Diving was complete with dolphins, turtles, sharks, miles of gorgeous coral, and of course our new international friends. A few of them were on holiday from uni, and in fact our dive instructor went to the same uni as Todd, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. (Yet another small world story!) We were on board for three days and in our swimmers the whole time. One of the divers had more tats than we've ever seen. And you wouldn't believe the tucker they served: beautiful food and bickies with every meal. One tea even featured a full roast pig!
When Todd gets back, you'll have to have a Captain Cook at the dive video and photos. Well mates, that's all for now. It's been choice!
TRANSLATION TO AMERICAN ENGLISH:
Hi guys! How're you doing? For the last week, we have been partying non-stop. The New Zealanders and Australians we have met have been great tous. They have been buying us pints and even pitchers until we're wasted. Todd is bummed out, though, because he hasn't been watching any football on TV. Even after the Packers lost, he is still a football fan, but it's too early for the Aussie Rules season. To deal with this, we went to a BBQ with great brats and drank some beers out of the cooler. Why they keep calling us "seppo's" we don't know. (Seppo is short for septic tank, which rhymes with yank, which is what the Aussies call Americans. So it's "yank" or "seppo"; both can be either derogatory or endearing.)
We went diving on the Great Barrier Reef, which was great until Myrna had a scare and almost had to share an octopus (the alternate air source on one's buddy, for those of you who don't scuba dive). It's OK, though, she's fine. Diving was complete with dolphins, turtles, sharks and miles of gorgeous coral, and of course our new international friends. A few of them were off for the summer from college. In fact, our dive instructor went to the same school as Todd, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. (Yet another small world story!) We were on board for three days and in our swimsuits the whole time. One of the divers had more tattoos than we've ever seen. And you would not believe the chow they were serving: wonderful food and crackers with every meal. One dinner they served a whole roast pig.
Well, friends, that's all for now. It's been real!
Myrna left the professional world of national magazine ad sales in Chicago to travel around the world! She sought eternal truths and true beauty, and found them. She left in January 1998, going to Australia, New Zealand, around Asia (Japan, China) then to Thailand and Nepal. The rest of the year was in Europe, mostly Turkey. She returned in December, then left again for five more months to do Habitat for Humanity Global Village in New Zealand and Alaska in 1999. She now resides in Denver, Colorado, near her hometown of Hoxie, Kansas.
You can visit Myrna's web site at www.GoGlobalGirl.com, and email Myrna at mljames@attglobal.net
