Hello to our friends and family back home. You are now speaking to licensed PADI open water scuba divers! This week was spent in Cairns, australia's top diving location. Each morning at 8:00 AM we went to the Cairns Dive Center for in-class knowledge based learning and finished the days in the pool, putting our skills to the test. On the final day, we nervously sat down for our class exam, and were happy to all recieve passing results. With the in-class section down, it was time to prove what we had learned. We took a boat from Cairns to the beautiful, tropical paradise that is Fitzroy Island, where we enjoyed the luxuries of a water trampoline, exotic coral beaches, and turquoise blue water. For our first open water dives, we explored the reefs White rock and Point X off of the Fitzroy Island shoreline. We were lucky enough to see lionfish, sea cucumbers, schools of colorful fish, and even Nemo and his family. We ended the night with some spastic dancing and a risque game of Cards against Humanity. The next morning, we woke up to a continental breakfast before boarding a boat to take us to the Great Barrier Reef. Before we knew it, we were pulling on our stingsuits, strapping on our gear, and jumping into the warm water to make out controlled descent to the reef. At 14 metres below the surface, we were able to see the beautiful colored corals, giant clams, hold a spiky sea cucumber that was alien-like in appearance and pet exotic, neon colored fish. We are so greatful to have had this amazing experience, cheers Cairns for showing us a great time! We're off to the Daintree Rainforest next.
-Zahir R