We woke up the next day and had breakfast and had to get down to the pier to head out to the Great Barrier Reef. This was one of the BIG things we had planned during the trip and we were blessed that we didn’t miss it after all the issues with getting to Australia. So, we headed down to the pier, parked, and eventually found our boat. I had a great email that said what dock to go to, but the name of the boat was hidden in the email. That was a bit distressing when I was trying to find the company name and realized that it was a third party that I booked through so I needed the boat name. But we found it and got on the boat. Now, as some of you may or may not know, I hate boats and they hate me. It all started many years ago when I went sailing in the Pacific and ended up getting massively seasick and I mooned everyone on the boat as well. I have never enjoyed boats. On my honeymoon we went to the Great Barrier Reef, from Cairns, and I got seasick on the way to the reef and had a miserable time. So, this time we came ready with Dramamine. I took a couple before we left as did all of us, and we were ready. They had a nice breakfast spread setup and we ate a little as well before we left. The boat headed out and things went well for us. I didn’t get sick and neither did anyone else. We got to our first reef location and “B”, “A” and I were able to do a beginner dive at the reef. “G” was too young to do this, but she was cool hanging out while we had our 20 minute dive. We got suited up first and they dropped us in the water, and my mask immediately filled with water. They brought me up, checked the mask, tighten it down, sent me down again, and the same things happened. So, back up, this time they covered my moustache with Vaseline and we tried again. Guess what, same things happened. So, they asked for a new mask, stuck it on, and…same things happened. At this point “B” and A” were all good to go and were waiting so I said to call it on me and to take them out. I didn’t need to waste their time. They said they would try again, but I didn’t need that time waste. So, they went out (had a blast) and I went in to find “G”. We then went out to snorkel in the reef. Well, that was when I started not doing so well. I had no energy after about 10 minutes in the water. “G” was given a private tour by one of the staff which was really cool. I got to see a bunch but I was starting to feel not so great in the head. Tummy was fine, but I as feeling odd in the head. I made sure to get more water in my system. “B” and “A” made it back and started snorkeling as well. We did that for a while and then it was time for lunch (very tasty) we sat up in the upper deck and enjoyed that area while we ate, and as we moved on to the second reef we got to explore. This was a reef with a much more dramatic fall off so that was cool to see, but by now I was doing worse. I took another Dramamine, but it didn’t help. So, I spent little time in the water at the second reef. But I still made it in for a bit and got to see some cool things. The girls all had a great time in the water there as well. Then it was time to head back. I went to the back stairs and sat on them and tried to get myself to a place where I felt better. The girls hung out on the upper deck. Not sure what they were doing since I was sitting on the stairs not feeling well. One of the workers, Epi, came by and started talking with me. He asked me if I could eat sugar and I said yes. He then went away and came back and said, “Diabetic, that was the word I was trying to remember.” And handed me a cup or lukewarm sugar water. He told me it would help. He also brought me some watermelon. We chatted about a bunch of different things, and I started feeling better as time went on. The trip back to shore wasn’t as bumpy as the way out so that helped too. I was a lot better by the time we docked. Then it was over to the grocery store to get food and then back to our place for the evening. We had roasted veggies and chicken for dinner. Here is what I will say for the day: I still hate the ocean and boats, BUT this time it was 100 times better than my honeymoon. My wife still felt that I didn’t have a good time since I got sick, but it was so much better than before. I enjoyed myself at first and really liked seeing what I saw under the sea.
The underwater pictures here were all taken with the underwater cameras we borrowed from a friend for the girls to use. They got some good pictures. “B” had bought some pouches for our phones to use under water, but they didn’t work at all. I wonder if the salt water had an effect on the touch screen ability. I think it did since it would be more conductive than regular water.
Oh and wear sunscreen. I burned my legs pretty badly from sitting on the upper deck during lunch. My legs started peeling a day or two after we got back home. That was like 3 weeks after the burn happened.