Prodive Cairns: Learning to Dive

After years of saying I was going to learn to dive, I finally booked myself on to a Prodive PADI Open Water Course. And, of course, if I was going to learn in Australia, I may as well learn on the Great Barrier Reef. I was beyond excited to be able to explore the underwater world, this was a skill for life and hopefully I would love it!

Before we set off into the open ocean, there were two days of theory and pool practise. On our first day, I met everyone else on the course and we were put into groups. There were seven of us in Team Niki, and we were fortunate enough to have the head instructor. In fact, we had two instructors all to ourselves. Kevin was having a trial interview type thing. Wouldn't it be great to have an interview just doing what you loved out on the reef!? We were given a massive manual to read through, and had to learn about nitrogen absorption and other factors that can affect a dive. We watched a few videos and had to answer some questions before getting kitted out. We picked out wet suits and flippers and were shown how to assemble our BCD (Buoyancy Control Device), with the first and second responses, inflation tube, dive computer etc. Just before lunch we had to do a swim test and tread water for fifteen minutes.

Lunch was a sandwich and a quick chat with everyone. It was then into the wetsuits to practise our breathing and mask techniques in the shallows. It was an odd feeling, being able to breathe underwater goes against all the natural instincts. I found it really difficult to not hold my breath and remember to constantly breathe. Once we were all relatively comfortable and had proved we could complete the techniques, it was down to 4m. There was so much to learn and remember. We had to be able to purge, take off our BCD underwater, complete an emergency ascent and a buddy ascent. Then there was taking the mask off, losing the regulator and having our tanks turned off. Add to this being able to stay buoyant, equalising the ears, and controlling our breathing.

The second day was our chance to practise practise practise. We had the opportunity to try out fancy flippers and masks. I couldn't believe the difference, it was so much easier and quicker to swim around with dive boots and cool fins. In the pool we had some snorkel practise and learnt how to drink air - it's as bizarre as it sounds. We were taken to the dive centre, where several people bought their own equipment. I would have loved my own snorkel, but had to think of the cost and the packing implications. There was no way I could carry it around for several months, no matter how small it folded. Instead, I made up my box for the boat trip with rental gear. It fitted me well enough.

The best part of the second day was the Grill'd lunch, a healthy burger was just what I needed. It's amazing how hungry you get being in and out of the water. Back at the training centre, it was time for more theory. We had to watch two more videos and read a little about dive times and surface times. Consolidating everything we had learnt in and out of the water, we had a test to complete. I only struggled with two questions, and had to get Niki to explain.

The next time we would be in the water, it'd be the open ocean. I wouldn't be able to pop up to the surface to burp, or have a mini panic, or readjust my mask. It was terrifying, I was both nervous and excited for the next three days living out at sea!

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We were all a little quiet on our drive to marina, probably just a little worried. And it was early. We met the other people on the boat, qualified divers and the crew. I was impressed by the size of the boat, hopefully we wouldn't feel any waves on board. I was so concerned about sea sickness that I'd bought medication. Our skipper was Adam, the Dive Master was Dave and Becky the cook. And obviously we still had our instructors from the training pool. Anna hadn't been very well, so we now had an all male team of Niki, Kevin, Damiano and Sam. With rooms allocated, I was with my dive buddy Rachel, it was time for breakfast. It was an amazing spread and I was glad to eat to ease the butterflies.

Our first dive wasn't until mid morning, giving us plenty of time to get used to the boat and soak up some sunshine. We had soon left Cairns behind and were heading out to our first location, on Milln Reef. It was beautiful, especially with the sun reflecting off of the water. We soon had to find our boxes and set up the BCD, suit up and then complete our buddy checks. We were to be the first group in the water, it was very nerve-racking, fin shuffling along at the back of the boat to demist our masks. It was now or never!

Fortunately, the water was a balmy 25°C, so it wasn't such a shock when I took that giant stride in. I was immediately hit with the realisation that I couldn't touch the bottom here.. but quickly dismissed that thought and focused on my breathing. Once we were all in the water, we had to complete our mask techniques on the rope and test our buoyancy. Then we used the rope to begin our descent down to ten metres, I had some issues with my ears. Niki brought me up a bit to equalise and I bobbed back down a bit slower, taking my time. We buddied up, us girls together, and followed Niki. Wow. It really was a whole other world, swimming amongst the coral and fish. We saw rainbow fish, clown fish, sea cucumbers, hard coral, soft coral, I didn't know where to look!

We were down at the bottom for about half an hour until we started our ascent. On the surface, we had to practise towing each other and relieving cramp. Then it was back on the boat to struggle out of the wetsuits and dry off. I loved being able to watch the others from above. It was so funny to see them pop up one by one. Whilst eating lunch, we also had dive logs to fill in and our first open water scuba experiences to share. Some of the advanced divers had seen a shark, I'm quite glad we didn't as it may have startled me a little.

That day we had a second dive, at a different dive site a short boat journey further out. We had more mask skills to complete, and practised our emergency weight drop at the surface. We saw much larger fish this time, coral trout and even barracuda. I was still as awestruck at the astonishing beauty of the reef. Sure, I'd seen thousands of photographs over time, but it's just not the same as seeing it with your own eyes. The Great Barrier Reef. The largest living thing on earth, visible from outer space, and my classroom for a few days.

While the qualified guys had another dive, we went out for a snorkel. It was a relief to not have to squeeze back into my wetsuit, that was undoubtedly the worst part of diving. Rachel, Kiia and I went out together, to explore the larger bommies and the drop off. As great as it was to see everything from above, all I could think was "I want to be down there!" I even found it difficult to breathe through my snorkel, I was already so used to my regulator. We did see a turtle though, and found a feeding station that we just floated near and observed. It really was fascinating to watch the many different fish and coral and how they interacted.

The day had gone by so quick, I couldn't believe we'd had two successful dives, and a snorkel, already. I was quickly adjusting to boat life as I had on the Whitsundays. The sunset from the top deck was just stunning, and the food was fantastic.. I could get used to life like this! After a delicious dinner, we all had plenty of questions to the night divers. It sounded awesome, and slightly scary, to be down at depth in the pitch black. That would be us in just 24hrs! We had a game or two of cards to wind down and then it was time for bed.

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An early start again for an early breakfast, to be in the water just after sunrise. Our first dive was at 7am, and was the deepest dive for our accreditation. Niki told us to not go below 17m, or there would be a forfeit. Once we were down at the bottom, I was surprised that it didn't feel much deeper than before. To think, just a few days ago I was nervous about 4m, now I was so comfortable I accidentally went to 17.3m. I was hoping I was close enough to the goal that there wouldn't be any consequences. When we got back to the boat, we discovered that three of us had all failed in our quest. Luckily, it didn't mean that we'd failed the course!

After an hour or so surface time to dry off, update our dive logs and finish breakfast, we were driven to a different dive site. Flynn Reef was further out than Milln, and was apparently Niki's favourite spot. Here, we would have our last training dive for our Open Water. We had completed all of our mask skills, regulator skills, surface skills and reached the certified depth. For this last dive, we had to practise our navigational skills. Niki had us out on the back of the boat before our descent to learn a few tips and tricks. We were staggering all over the place as we followed the compass, trying not to bump into each other. It was then finally time to put it to test out in the ocean.

All we had to do was swim away from Niki in the direction he told us to, and swim back. All using the compass of course, I did find it funny because we were all swimming the same way like a school of fish. How apt. Once that was complete, we could explore the dive site. There were lots of large coral structures, and lots of anemone fish, and surgeon fish too. It was the real Finding Nemo cast down there! On the surface, we had the last skill to tick off, inflating our signal tube. We all had a very immature giggle at the rather phallic shapes we were waving in the air. Back on the boat, we watched a dramatic demonstration of how to tow an unconscious diver, and what to do in such a situation. And we'd done it.. We had all passed our Open Water qualification and were certified divers!

With the paperwork complete, and lunch demolished, it didn't take long for Niki to offer us a further course. The Adventure Diver course was three more assessed dives that would then qualify participants to 30m. Of course I just had to do it! There were only five of us that signed up, and we would start our course that evening with the Night Dive (!!). First, we had a fun dive: no instructors, no testing skills, just us exploring the reef. Well. The less said about that the better. To summarise, I couldn't maintain neutral buoyancy, kept floating to the top, and got a nose bleed. But, we did see a turtle!

We had some paperwork bits to go through and another massive manual to have flick through and then it was time to get ready for our dive. I was a bit nervous about this, we had torches and a glow-stick attached to our tank, but apart from that it would be black. We were the first group in, I was so glad we had Niki as our instructor again. I felt comfortable with him and he knew that sometimes I needed to be reminded to breathe! I actually found it extremely relaxing, just swimming along in the dark. Having the torchlight gave me something to focus on, I wasn't looking here there and everywhere as before. During our safety stop, Niki tried to attract a shark. We all hung to the bar with our torches off as he swam around flickering his and making noises. It didn't work.

Another day over, we stayed up relatively late (gone ten o'clock) chatting and laughing. The trip was nearly over, one more day with three more dives and we would be heading back. Back to dry land.

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We were awake and gearing up even earlier this morning. With three dives to fit in on our shortest day, it meant being in the water at 6am. The five of us were the first in, as per usual. I was very excited for this dive, we would be descending to twenty seven metres. The only task we had to complete was to observe colour change at depth. Apart from that we could just enjoy the exploration. It was a beautiful dive site, and going deeper meant seeing a larger variety of fish. We also got to explore underneath the corals, and spotted a sting ray or two laying on the bottom. It was awesome, possibly my favourite dive. I didn't have any issues with my buoyancy, or my breathing, maybe I was just meant to be a deep diver.

We'd barely dried off and finished breakfast before we were back in the water. This time, it was our navigational dive. Firstly, to measure our fin stroke and be able to calculate distance, we swam below the boat from one end to the other. I may have lost count of my fin strokes on the going, so concentrated super hard on the way back. I found it did actually help, having to count and use my brain - stopped me thinking and worrying about doing everything right. We then swam to a sand clearing amongst the coral and navigated a square. Done.

We surfaced as qualified Adventure Divers, and I was super proud of all of us. We had time before our final dive to fill in our paperwork and log the dive. We then had a proper dive brief, with awesome illustrations, telling us where to go and where to avoid. Rachel and I were buddies again, and decided to dive what we figured would be the easier side of the boat in the shallows. The problem was, we were now too accustomed to being deeper. We managed to get down to the bottom, and started to follow the route suggested. The current was quite strong so we tried to swim into it. This meant going a little bit shallower. Before we knew it, we were pretty much at the surface. Neither of us could get back down to the bottom, and the current was taking us god knows where.

I couldn't help it, I got the giggles. I lifted my head out of the water and saw we were pretty far from the boat, and may as well be snorkelling. We had a fit of hysterical laughter. It was just ridiculous, we clearly couldn't be trusted out on our own. We signalled for Dave to come and pick us up. We were still laughing when he arrived, I think he thought we were insane. Whilst we were being towed back, we put our heads down and watched the coral and fish zoom past. We were joined by a small turtle too, getting a free ride in the waves.

Niki couldn't believe it when we told him what had happened, there we were two newly qualified divers and we had a bottom time of just nine minutes. Nine. Apparently that doesn't even count as a dive! I just had to hope the next time I dived, I could keep it together. We had a great time sharing our adventure at lunch. There were a few other people who had got completely lost, but we were the only ones that had such a pathetic descent. Ah well. It was a funny story.

With our bags packed, equipment washed down and rooms emptied, it was now time to relax and have a little sunbathe on our journey back to Cairns. But of course, our earlier depth failure hadn't been forgotten. All three of us had a cracker to eat. But this was no ordinary cracker... It was spread with vegemite, mustard, and mayonnaise and sprinkled with cinnamon and coffee granules. I tried to get it over with, practically swallowing after one bite.  It was vile.

I was sad to leave the boat, and my awesome dive buddies. I had had a fantastic week, learning a new skill in the amazing environment of the Great Barrier Reef. The crew were fantastic and I was so glad to have the calm and collected Niki reassuring me underwater, and mocking me above.