Day 11

<p>It was another early start this morning. We were due to be picked up at 7.45 local time, and my persistence in keeping to Melbourne time helped allow me to be up and ready with plenty of time to spare. My ingenious plan for getting our key deposits back was to leave a note with the keys in the drop box, explaining why we had to checkout early asking them to refund the key deposit onto Dougs card and that we'd pop in when we got back to check there were no problems. All sorted we jumped onto the bus a few minutes early, the first pickup for the day. As the bus trundled round town, I was starting to get nervous about it all. I was looking forward to the diving, but what was going to happen when I saw a shark? We eventually pulled up to dive shop, ready to have our qualifications checked and to pay the reef tax. Because Doug and I had been instructed with a new company, and were AUSI certified divers rather than the standard PADI, we were expecting the funny looks we got when we showed our cards. AUSI certifications had been kicking up some political stink in the weeks before we left, and thankfully a missive had been sent round dive shops explaining it should be treated like any other qualification. We had no problems as they wrote the details down and packed us back on the bus for the drive to the marina. While we sat having a beer, we'd spotted a bus for this company have a few problems getting into the marina carpark, and as we sat waiting to leave we discovered it was because all the passes had expired yesterday. This meant we had to wait for the guy with the working pass to ready himself, gather all the other passes, and eventually we followed him down to the marina and tailgated him through the barrier. As we got on the boat, we were given waivers to fill in and the tedious process of getting gear together started. What would be strangest was that the crew would be setting all the gear up for us. Once we'd been fitted up, we had a quick boat briefing, where they introduced my favourite rule of the trip - this was a shoe free boat. We headed out to the reef, a 90 minute journey in fairly rough conditions leaving many people feeling quesy. Before we arrived, all the certified divers joined in the wheel house to have a dive brief and for our certifications to be checked again. Again the funny looks about our AUSI cards, but no questions asked. We'd have the opportunity to prove to them how much better AUSI divers were once we were in the water. Sitting up in the wheel house, the roll of the sea was even more pronounced and the instructor giving the briefing had a hard time standing in front of the table. Having been given the brief, all 6 of the certified divers opted to have a guide for the tour, Doug and I decided on it as it would be good to aclimatise to the environment without having to consider navigating, plus we'd be more likely to be shown the interesting wildlife. We all went back downstairs, where the wave effect was significantly reduced. When the boat started to slow down it was time to gear up and get ready. The by now familiar routine Doug and I had learnt swimming in Port Phillip bay was no different on a boat like this, except the wetsuits were thinner and 'shorties', they only went down just above the knee. Our initial view of the area was just that we were in the middle of nowhere, sea waves all around with no difference across the surface. As soon as we submerged and started descending beneath the waves, it was as if we'd entered an entirely different world. The water was crystal clear, a lovely shade of blue spreading out around us. Immediately we were surrounded by fish of different kinds, all happily swimming around us without a care in the world. When we finally hit the reef, the diversity and quantity of marine life increased a hundred fold. Big silver fish, small yellow fish, tiny blue and green fish, the entire cast from Finding Nemo was down here, except the sharks. There were none to be seen anywhere, it was bliss. 1 by 1, the others in the group ran out of air, and were taken back to the boat, leaving me and Doug swimming with the instructor. We had our photo taken with Nemo by the professional underwater photographer, holding into the reef and dragging our masked face right up close to the enema while the clown fish dived in and out. As we circled round, I spotted the Finding Nemo school as well, an eagle ray with 6 smaller fish on its back, ready for take off. Eventually, Doug's air ran low and he was forced to surface as well. As I continued exploring the area, the instructor tried to point out creatures as we swam near them, but even someone so experienced misses some things and I dragged us off to the side to watch an eel of some kind, sitting submerged under a rock, with just its muzzle jaw sticking out snapping at passing fish. We explored the fascinating effect on some parts of the reef where putting a finger in one spot caused something to open up further along. During this whole time underwater, my dive computer hadn't been working. At our deepest point it had come on and told me we were at 2.6 meters, which I believe from the other computers was actually closer to 17 meters. Thankfully this isn't the device telling me how much air I had left. When eventually my air was expended, we surfaced, a cheshire cat grin on my face. The choppy surface gave nothing away of what delights lay underneath, the life and activity occurring just meters below the surface. After giving my equipment back to the boat crew, and asking them to change the dive computer, Doug and I geared up in snorkels and got back in. Splashing around on the surface, it was still an amazing insight to the reef, but very different. The fish were all below you for a start, instead of all around you, and the reef looked so much flatter. Eventually we went back up to the boat to dry off and prepare for lunch, and we started chatting to the other divers. Lunch was a simple affair, and after we'd eaten, the boat moved off to another dive location, further along Norman Reef. </p>
<p>This time as we went down we opted to buddy up together and do our own thing. Swimming around turtle bay, we'd hoped for a sighting of a turtle, or a large ray that apparently came here often. Instead, with my dive computer already pissing air we saw the one thing I most definitely did not want to see - a ginormous violent man-eating shark. Thankfully, we saw him in the distance, and Doug gestured to follow him. No bloody way. I'd escaped his attention by hovering quietly - there was no chance I was going to follow him and give him another chance to notice me. We went the other way, with thankfully little panicing. As we carried on round the coral outcroppings, more and more fish showed themselves, and once again I was taken by the diversity of colour and size.&#160; It wasn't long after this we had to start swimming back to the boat,&#160; my dive computer blowing out as much air as I breathed had depleted my air supply to half. As we meandered our way back we tried to explore as much more of the bay as we could, and my air was very low when we finally pulled ourselves back aboard. Yet again I got them to change my equipment, hoping to finally get a working set before I went home. We splashed back in the water again, 26 degrees warm and lovely, to explore the rest of the bay. Still no turtles, but also no sharks over here.&#160; Once everyone was back aboard, we moved to join up with the OceanQuest, our home for the night and dive base. Crossing over, with the crew passing the bags and shoes for us we grouped together in the galley to await the introductions. The boat supervisor came through and chatted to us about what was going to happen, and to reiterate the no shoes rule. We all split off to our cabins, and joined up 20 minutes later for a dive briefing. Our cabin was cosy, but had an ensuite and instead of the quad room we'd paid for we were in a twin, probably because there was only 8 guests on a boat which catered for 48. There were in fact more crew than passengers. The first dive from this boat was the bay the boat was permanently moored in. Again Doug and I buddied up and set out to explore this section of the reef. Everywhere we went, the reef continued to amaze us, and we just couldn't get enough. We swam out along the reef, looking everywhere around us at the beauty of nature.<br>
As I turned my head, out the corner of my eye I saw a shadow moving. Even closer to us this time but going in a different direction, another killing machine with its baby brother close behind. My heart was beating a million times a minute, my breathing went through the roof, and all I could do to not bolt for the surface was to just clench my fists and close my eyes. Shortly later, with my breathing under control and my heart rate once again distinguishable from a high pitched squeal - I opened my eyes. My choice to not move had paid off, I'd been sneaky enough that the brutes hadn't seen me - all my limbs were still attached and I was alive. Having successfully evaded certain death, we continued to explore the reef, eventually heading back to the boat after another 30 minutes of being submerged in blissful paradise (ignoring the near fatal encounter). We had a short while from now until dinner, long enough to get out the laptop and continue blogging the earlier days of the trip. Doug went for a powernap, and I made my way onto the deck to watch the sun go down. As night approached, the sharks woke up more and looking down at the water where we entered, dark shapes were circling under the water. Before long, the call for dinner went out and we went down to join our fellow divers for food. For some reason, I didn't have much of an appetite. After dinner, we headed up to the deck, as the dinner scraps got thrown overboard. One of the crew and one of the guests got out onto an platform which lowered in the water until they were ankledeep in water with sharks thrashing around, there were some other fish as well which they seemed more concerned about but they stood and threw hunks of leftover dinner to the depths while the sharks circled and gnashed their teeth visciously. </p>
<p>Our briefing had been given to us by a French dive master, and in his stumbling accent he had run us through the differences between day and night diving, including the signalling method to use with a torch. In his rambling description, he'd warned us how we'd be playing god down there, as the larger fish would hunt on the light of our torches on the smaller prettier fish we were lighting up to look at. " you 'ave one keel onli - no more " eventually translated to if being allowed to highlight a fish once for near certain death, once a fish had died from us looking at the pretty fish we couldn't highlight anymore.&#160; He explained too how crustations would have red eyes, sharks would have green eyes and we might spot a turtle with its head resting on the coral while it slept. All too quickly, it was time to suit up. I'd got the crew to change my air canister for tonight's dive, so that I had a greater quantity to burn through. When doing this, they'd clearly popped a seal, and turning my air supply on started a horrible loud hissing. Normally they wouldn't have worried but with my already nervous state, they agreed it was better if I didn't have something else to worry about in the water.&#160; The boat supervisor had very graciously lent us an instructor to come down with us, so that we all came home he said. Sasha was currently partway through his internship. A fully qualified instructor being initiated into the company way of doing things. Sasha was very supportive, until he said if we saw 2 green spots more than a meter apart we should all link arms with our canisters out and form a protective circle with him in the middle... No bloody chance! </p>
<p>On today's previous dives, I'd been surfacing with a bloody nose. The change in pressure possibly combined with me blowing to hard to equalize may have popped some capilliaries in my nose, nothing to worry about normally, but would blood in the water give away my sneakily hidden position to the sharks? We stepped over the edge and I didn't want to put my face under, knowing we'd stepped right into the feeding frenzy zone from earlier. We made our way round the boat and descended down the line to see the reef in its nighttime glory. I'd avoided being eaten on the surface, and the next challenge was transition through the depths. We made it down and set off along the reef. I wasn't the only nervous diver, but I definitely kept my emotions in check better than one of the others, who's diving ability was dubious in the best of conditions, and his erotic movements bumping up against me gave me quite a few starts until I was able to get sufficiently behind him that he wasnt constantly kicking me any more. The reef still had loads of life and movement, and none of the fish caught in my torchlight got eaten. It was very different at night, visibility was poorer and although many creatures could be seen because of their eyes glowing, it just didn't have the same teeming life feel that it had during the day. At one point, we all covered our flashlights and sitting in a circle, Sasha waved his hand through the water vigorously. As the plankton in the water got excited and died they gave off a glow of fluorescent light. </p>
<p>As our air gave out we headed back for the boat, stopping along the line for a safety stop and to watch the circling sharks. Happily there was a nice thick chain to hide behind, and none of the sharks saw me. Getting out of the boat, I was finally able to relax - I'd spent the last 40 minutes consciously slowing my heart rate and breathing down to survive and I was finally free. It had been an experience, but for me the reef was just a far more vibrant place during the day and while in everything else I do I'm a might person, with diving I'm definitely a day person.</p>
<p>After we'd changed, it was time for dessert. Earlier in the day, the crew had asked who wanted to be woken at 5.45 for the dawn dive. They had offered as well a chance to qualify for deep diving. On our current qualifications we were rated to dive to 18 meters. With the next qualification, we'd be qualified to 30 meters, this of course entails extra dangers and so extra knowledge. Doug and I had both signed up, and would be doing the deep dive qualification on the dawn dive. So while we finished off desert, our instructor Pam came and taught us the theory section, ready for the dive tomorrow morning. Test completed, we headed to the bar with our text books and a chapter or 2 to read. We had a few beers and I chatted to the barmaid, who would also being doing the deep dive with us tomorrow as part of her advanced qualification. Eventually heading to bed, I cracked on through the book, managing to finish it before falling asleep with the light on. Diving really does take it out of me, but the sights and sensations today have been very worth it. Tomorrow can Only get better.