A scuba virgin diving in Australia

Robert Ince    scubadivingholidays     australia, diving, great barrier reef, Scuba, Scuba Diving, shark diving

I think I’ve been forgotten. I’m sitting at the back of the boat, wetsuit-clad legs dangling into the Pacific, and attempting to look back with a heavy oxygen tank on my back to see if I’m going to get a partner for the dive or not; my first scuba dive, and I’m diving in Australia. You see, one must go down in a pair, but due to travelling alone the odd numbers in the group means I’m waiting for someone to accompany me. The rest have already gone ahead.

Scuba: More fun and safer in a group. Image; Flickr/ Daquella manera

My nervousness is palpable, but I’m also possessed with a sense of excitement and anxious anticipation. Scuba has its dangers, as does the Pacific… The laid-back tour guide eventually, and somewhat reluctantly, offers to join me and we’re soon off into the deep blue below.

This is the Great Barrier Reef, one of the wonders of the world, it’s a few kilometers off the coast of tropical North Queensland in Australia, and I’ve come on a day trip from Cairns to the Outer Barrier Reef – ideal for the traveller short on time and perfect for anyone new to scuba diving. Many day trips will focus on the Inter Reef Gardens, and reefs close to places such as Michaelmas Cay, Fitzroy Island and Green Island. In short, diving paradise.

After the initial strangeness of bringing yourself to breath underwater and relaxing while doing so – without bringing on a panic attack – we are underway. With my heart racing and occasional ache in my ear, I’m several meters down and have soon caught up with the other lot who are serenely swimming among beautiful coral and exotic sea creatures. I can assure you, if this is your first dive, it will be an experience you will never forget!

Underwater, one’s thoughts emigrate inward. The mind starts freeing itself, until all that remains is that which is visible through the cerulean lens of the eye mask; what they say about it being another world is certainly true. For a start, the visibility is astounding! A change, I can imagine, to the murky depths of the seas closer to home.

Here, the pastel-coloured coral and rainbow barnacle spreads across the sea bed like psychadelic prefabs in some deserted township, as thin silver fish that appear lit from inside swim around me, unflinching and oblivious to these strange human beings who come down here in their droves every day, all year long. To them, we’re just another exotic water creature.

Safety boats should always be nearby. Image: Flickr/Phil Guest

I swim further into the crystal clear abyss, gently skimming the undulating algae below me, which unfurls like fists opening and closing.

Slowly, my fear of running out of oxygen, getting the bends, and/or being eaten by a shark drifts away like the bubbles from my regulator. Before long, I loosen the firm grip on said mouthpiece – which my jaw thanks me for later.  The water is warm now. Even though I can’t breathe without the aid of the huge tank I’m lugging on my back, in some curious way I feel freer than I ever have on land.

In no time at all I’m back on the surface. Pulling my mask off, and with snot all over my face I’m joyous that my first dive is complete. And I’m still alive! Back on deck the group shares stories, exchanging the moments when true fear of the unknown evaporated into astonishment and awe at this under-water metropolis of vibrant colour and life which we’ve all just experienced for the first time.

A word of warning: once you’ve done one dive, you’ll want more!

I returned to my hotel proudly clutching my introductory dive certificate. That night I fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of magical cities under the sea. This time I could breathe unaided. I swam free.

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Robert Ince wrote one article on this blog.

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