The Great Barrier Reef called.
It was one of the main draws for our week in Port Douglas, and we planned a day on the reef carefully. Our needs were complex, as two of us (Bill and Aaron) were scuba-certified but our most recent dives were decades ago, two (Kate and Robin) were hesitantly interested in an introductory scuba dive (allowing for an accompanied dive to about 30 feet), and two would snorkel (Helene and Terry).
After looking at several scuba/snorkeling companies, we settled on an exuberant, talkative fellow named Jay Wink. He promised us customized service and value for every Australian dollar we would spend on him … he didn’t disappoint! He was our instructor, friend, hand-holder, leader, and photo- and videographer.
We arranged for a half day pool session, to reacquaint Bill and I to the equipment and rules and to introduce Kate and Robin to it all. When Jay arrived at our Port Douglas house at the appointed time/day, backing up his SUV to our front door, we asked what pool we were going to, and he said, “Why don’t we just use this one!” Turns out Jay knows the owner of our house, knew we had a pool, and convinced us that our pool would do just fine – a deeper pool would be no more or less useful for our refresher and introduction.
Convenient as hell, I’d say!
Jay spent about 5 hours with us, gently addressing fears, building confidence, nurturing each of us, but especially Kate and Robin, both of whom had significant worries about the who enterprise. But they both dove in with both feet (pun intended), got a taste for being under, for breathing with that big contraption in their mouths, and ended the session with a go-ahead for the next day on the reef.
After a comradic breakfast, we boarded the Calypso at around 8:30am with about 25 others – the six of us were essentially a “pod” within the larger group, with our own leader, Jay, and his assistant, Matt. We would be stopping at three parts of Opal Reef, one of the outer coral systems in the Great Barrier Reef in this area.
After some last instructions, we got ready. Jay would take Kate and Robin, making sure they were able to have a reasonably comfortable experience, Matt would lead Bill and Aaron, while Helene and Terry would be largely on their own to snorkel.
The reef showed its colors in our one day of sunshine in Port Douglas, brilliant fan, brain, and tree corals, fish of all colors and sizes. Kate and Robin did very well on their first open water scuba experience, spending 25 minutes exploring the underwater world … pretty awesome, considering this is probably the most sought-after dive spots on this planet.
It was a grand day, reprising for me the now long-faded memory of three days on the Great Barrier Reef in 1981 (which my friend Jim and I were able to afford by working, helping to dig the foundation for a pre-school in Cairns). A great thing about not remembering is it’s all new!
Jay took lots of photos and videos, which we’ll post when we can download them.
It was one of the main draws for our week in Port Douglas, and we planned a day on the reef carefully. Our needs were complex, as two of us (Bill and Aaron) were scuba-certified but our most recent dives were decades ago, two (Kate and Robin) were hesitantly interested in an introductory scuba dive (allowing for an accompanied dive to about 30 feet), and two would snorkel (Helene and Terry).
After looking at several scuba/snorkeling companies, we settled on an exuberant, talkative fellow named Jay Wink. He promised us customized service and value for every Australian dollar we would spend on him … he didn’t disappoint! He was our instructor, friend, hand-holder, leader, and photo- and videographer.
We arranged for a half day pool session, to reacquaint Bill and I to the equipment and rules and to introduce Kate and Robin to it all. When Jay arrived at our Port Douglas house at the appointed time/day, backing up his SUV to our front door, we asked what pool we were going to, and he said, “Why don’t we just use this one!” Turns out Jay knows the owner of our house, knew we had a pool, and convinced us that our pool would do just fine – a deeper pool would be no more or less useful for our refresher and introduction.
Convenient as hell, I’d say!
 |
Kate and Robin getting comfortable with the equipment ... and Jay. |
 |
I think that's Kate under there! |
After a comradic breakfast, we boarded the Calypso at around 8:30am with about 25 others – the six of us were essentially a “pod” within the larger group, with our own leader, Jay, and his assistant, Matt. We would be stopping at three parts of Opal Reef, one of the outer coral systems in the Great Barrier Reef in this area.
 |
Jay giving last minute instructions (L-R Robin, Terry, Kate, Helene) |
The reef showed its colors in our one day of sunshine in Port Douglas, brilliant fan, brain, and tree corals, fish of all colors and sizes. Kate and Robin did very well on their first open water scuba experience, spending 25 minutes exploring the underwater world … pretty awesome, considering this is probably the most sought-after dive spots on this planet.
It was a grand day, reprising for me the now long-faded memory of three days on the Great Barrier Reef in 1981 (which my friend Jim and I were able to afford by working, helping to dig the foundation for a pre-school in Cairns). A great thing about not remembering is it’s all new!
Jay took lots of photos and videos, which we’ll post when we can download them.
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