There is definitely no shortage of travel brochures, tours and "deals" here in Cairns. After parcing through a sizable portion of the options we finally have a plan for our remaining 8 or so days here. First, I am sure that you all will agree that one cannot visit Australia without viewing what is touted as the earth's single largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef. Scuba diving is quite expensive here, which we are guessing may be due to the fact that the reef is actually about 30 km off the coast, thus requiring sizable boats and more fuel to actually get there. Two day trips out to the reef (3 dives each) is quite expensive when you factor in hotels for those nights. As a result we have decided to book a 3 day, 2 night stay on a live aboard boat (through a company called Pro Dive http://prodive.com.au). Yes, tomorrow morning we set out at 6:30 am to stay for 2 nights 30 km from dry land with about 28 other divers on the one and only Great Barrier Reef. Our package allows us to do 11 dives during that time, two of which are night dives. I, being a beginner diver, probably will not do the night dives. I figure that being on the ocean for three straight days and 9 dives will be adventure enough for me. But don't worry, I am sure Alan will report thoroughly on his encounters with the ocean's night creatures.
After we get back to shore on Monday, we will recover from any seasickness for one night and then head out for the Tablelands, an area just inland from Cairns that is noted for beautiful scenery, great hikes and waterfalls. Unfortunately you have to rent a campervan for a minimum of 5 days, so we will be using a regular car again. I am a little nervous about the live aboard, but we definitely can't wait for this next set of adventures!
-- Kelly
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