Goin Troppo
Hi Everyone!
Back into the tropics, this time in north eastern Australia at the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef - Cairns.
Arrived here in the small hours of the morning on the 9th May, tired and happy to have a bed waiting for me at the lovely little hostel that is Tropic Days, a truly great place and where I have spent the remainder of my time (on land). First impressions of Cairns, it has to be said, were not that great…its a bit, for a better word, trashy, but maybe thats just because I was in Melbourne which is far and away anything but trashy. However, its the ideal place to book tours and dives which are very competitively priced. Which is exactly what I did…I booked myself onto a 5-day liveaboard dive trip with Taka Dives, a company with a good reputation and an exciting schedule which takes you right out into the most unspoilt sections of the reef. I was not dissappointed, 14 dives later and back on dry land I look back at one of the best trips i’ve been on since coming to Australia. Great staff, a good crew of people, amazing food and incredible diving experiences made for a trip of a lifetime. The highlight of which has to be the shark feed…i’ll say no more, just look for yourselves, and yes I am the one taking the video!
Shark Feed!
Not only that but I was also lucky enough to see (and this time video) a Manta Ray, at least 2m in width with some speed to him too!
Along Came A Manta…
All of this coupled with stunning corals, fish of all shapes, sizes and colours and superb water clarity and visibility resulted in perfect dives. I have to admit that before I came to the GBR my expectations were low, many travelers I had met had not been impressed but I know now that you have to see things for yourself and not always rely on other people’s opinions and I’m glad I had the chance to look for myself. It was excellent.
Anyways thats what I’ve been up to and after 5 days of diving I am knackered, yet satisfied. I’m just gonna chill out around the hostel pool for the next couple of days and then make my way south to Ayr and Townsville.
Hope you all enjoy the pics from the dive, i’m happy with them, they came out really well! Check them out…
TTFN 
x
Leave a Comment
May 17th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Hey Dave,
I’m impressed! This from the boy who hid behind the sofa at Jaws. Brave!!
Some fantastic photos again, maybe you should go into business and sell them on canvas on ebay?
Come home soon, we miss you! But until then take care and keep safe! Jo xxx
May 20th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Dave,
That looks and sounds awesome! Glad to see that you’re still having a fantastic time pal. I can’t believe how long you’ve been away for mate… whats the pals after Oz? When are you due back on our shores?
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Ere dave, sounds like your having a blast mate. photos are great - composition and all,haha. See you in Brisbane soon pal - we’ll get up to some mischief! tom.