It's just me and the reef!

Two blogs in one day?! I’m on fire!

So, as you guys can tell, I’ve been doing a lot of traveling during my time abroad. Shout out to my haters who said you can’t travel if you don’t go to Europe!

Anywho, when I returned back from my WA trip I had a pit in my stomach about the fact that I wasn’t going to the Great Barrier Reef. Literally HOW?! It's Australia’s most iconic landmark and one of the seven wonders of the world. I realized I was really going to regret not going, and so I booked a flight that left in two days.

Something that was really special and new about this trip was that I was doing it solo. I’ve never really done that before, but I was super excited. I booked the cheapest flights, the cheapest hostel, and packed my bags. I was only going for 2.5 days but I had the perfect itinerary planned. 

I woke up bright and early Wednesday morning for my 6am flight and got the adventure started! Upon landing, I decided to save a couple bucks and walk to my first activity rather than pay for a cab. However, I underestimated just how far away it was, and just how long it would take me. It wasn’t long until I was running down the side of the main road in Cairns absolutely dripping sweat with a 25lb backpack on my shoulders. 

I arrived at my location but not without a couple comments from the workers about “marathon training”, “traveling the whole country”, and a few kind suggestions as to where the bathroom was so that I could “clean up and dry off”. Brutal.

Anyways, my first adventure was something I could not wait to do: a plane ride over the GBR. I got into the tiny plane (still dripping sweat), and was jaw-dropped for the next 45 minutes. I could not believe how beautiful the views were, and how bright the water was. From up above I got to see some sharks, turtles, and dugongs. This is seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever done and it got me soooo excited to actually get in the water and see things from below. 

 
                

For the rest of the day, I explored the city of Cairns which I actually really enjoyed. I then checked into my hostel and went to the public library to get some homework done. I grabbed some dinner and sat on the water appreciating how lucky I was to be traveling. 

                  

I tried to go to bed early to rest up for the big day I had planned for tomorrow, but we all know that's a big aspiration in a hostel. I was kept up by the usual activity of people coming in and out, but just as we all finally fell asleep, an alarm struck. An announcement blasted through the building “ALERT ALERT! THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE BUILDING! PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!” We all sleepily went outside and stood in a huddle confused as to what was going on. Then, without any explanation we were told everything was all clear. It was super weird. 

The next morning, I woke up early to get some breakfast and walk on the water before I went to the dock to catch my boat! I found a comfy seat next to some girls from France, and between the equipment fittings and instructional videos, I read my book until we reached the reef. 

There was something special about this trip: I was going to scuba! Australia is one of the only places where you can do an introductory dive without a license, but even so, most tours don’t offer it. So when I saw this option, I hopped on it. I was definitely nervous but I knew I would love it.

I snorkeled at the first spot and was left speechless by the reef. I was the first in the water off the boat, and I did not come out until they blew a horn telling me the boat was moving locations. I seriously just love splashing around!

Getting back on the boat meant it was time to get suited up for my scuba site. I got strapped to my tank that felt like it weighed a million pounds, and before I knew it, I was jumping in the water. To no surprise, I freaked out when I first got in. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and I was getting knocked around into the other divers. But after a few seconds of taking deep breaths, and following my awesome instructor (Kyoko) I was feeling much better. 

After that initial shock was over, I seriously could not believe what I was seeing. It was the coolest thing I had ever done. I had to make a conscious effort not to smile, as it would fill my goggles with water, but it was really hard. I have always loved to swim and see the ocean, but this was like no perspective I had ever had before. I could not have been happier.

Immediately upon my rise back up to the surface, I begged my instructor to let me join at the third dive site. She happily granted me a spot after seeing my excitement. I twiddled my thumbs as our dedicated lunch time came to a close as I couldn’t wait to do it all over again. To no surprise, the third dive was just as enjoyable. I will certainly be getting my certification after this, so if anyone wants to go on a scuba trip, PLEASE invite me!

This is the only photo I have from my experience (sorry to the photographer, but he was charging $25 PER photo!!)

I still have not come down from this high, but it wasn’t over there. After the third dive, there was still about 30 minutes left to snorkel. I almost didn’t want to go in after seeing the water from a scuba perspective but I knew that was silly. I jumped in with the hopes of finding a shark. With only 2 minutes left on the snorkel clock, I saw one! It was the perfect end to the perfect adventure.

After arriving back to the mainland, I floated to dinner, a shower, and back towards the water to sit down and reflect. After some time there, I met up with one of the kids I met on the boat for a drink before heading to bed.

The next morning, I got up to walk and jump in the most beautiful public pool that’s located in the center of Cairns. I then walked to a local market, got some acai, and continued splashing around before I had to shower and clean up for my flight. I got some lunch and off I went to the airport!

This was one of the most spontaneous things I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. I loved being alone, but I also had some really amazing interactions with the people I met along the way on my excursions and in the hostel. I will forever be grateful for this experience and I cannot wait to continue seeing the ocean from below. If anyone reading this is considering a trip to the GBR, or getting their scuba license, DO IT DO IT DO IT!

Looking forward: I have three big trips left before I head back to the states, so make sure to stay tuned! Love you all!