Boxing Day - Let the Diving Begin!

The day after Christmas, what Aussies refer to as Boxing Day, I was up early and ready to start diving! Or so I thought... About half way through the commute to the big boat the effects of Christmas night started to take over. My new friend, Pedro (from Brazil), looked after me and made sure I made it through the boat rides to enjoy the first two dives of the trip off the commuter boat.

The funny thing about diving is that if you're sick you usually feel much better once you're in the water. I was grateful for this as the first dive was easily one of the best I've experienced. We saw two whitetip reef sharks, a sea turtle, and played with Wally, all in one dive!

Wally is an incredibly friendly Wrasse fish that loves being pet, and it will pull you around under water if you cup your hand over its nose. I didn't get a picture of him but here is a YouTube video I found online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrM_uynzZtM


Just keep looking at the horizon; you'll be fine...

Let's go Diving!!!

Whitetip Reef Shark

Sea Turtle (well, most of it)

Christmas Night

I got settled and did some exploring around town. Then I went to lay by the pool where I met a really nice couple. After seven years together Karen and Martin recently got engaged. In lieu of a large wedding they decided to quite their jobs and travel for six months. The three of us spent Christmas night at a lively local pub called The Woolshed along with a few other acquaintances we met along the way. 

By the end of the night the bar was overflowing with people wearing Santa hats and dancing on tables. Beth, they have late night cart rides in Australia too!

Arriving in OZ

I received a warm, very humid welcome into Cairns, Australia Christmas Day. The 13 hour flight from LA to Brisbane seemed to fly by (no pun intended): Conversation, dinner, movie, sleep..., breakfast, more conversation, and we're here!

I sat next to a super nice and very talkative Australian women and her 21 year old son on the flight over. Between the three of us and their various friends sitting around us, you can imagine the discussions. The group of 7 had just spent three weeks exploring various cities along the west coast and were still in party mode. I was sure they would have asked me to join them for Christmas had I not been booked for a connecting flight. By the time we landed I had a whole list of places to go and things to try while in Australia.

I made my way to the hostel and soon after check-in had already befriended my roommate. Thancya is from Montreal, Canada and has been traveling in Australia for a month. Within moments we were getting to know each other and she was offering suggestions for my trip.