My, my, what a big Groper!

Got up this morning (Saturday) at stupid o'clock (5.45am), but not as early as Simon (from Stanmore) who had to leave to get his Greyhound at 5.30 - at least him pottering about helped me wake up!

After getting myself ready, I went outside at 6.15am and waited for Steve, my dive instructor. He arrived and had another student with him, Anja from the Netherlands - she had just started her PADI and it was her first time in the water. I was joining them in the pool so that Steve could check my skills. We arrived at the local Aquatic Centre at 7am, but it didn't open until 8am, so we waited outside and practiced setting up the gear until then.

Once in the pool, everything I learned came flooding straight back to me and I was swimming around happily, doing the skills fine. We got out at 11am and dropped Anja home before going back to Steve's house, having a coffee and then picking up his wife Donna, a load of equipment and the boat!

At the marina, we were joined by Ken (their friend), Andrew (a guy who just passed his PADI last week with Steve) and 4 other divers who were on a holiday together (they specialise in underwater photography so had massive cameras and stuff with them). We headed off in the boat, passing Fraser Island (I waved to Nikki and Jana who would have been on there by then!) and went to our first dive site.

As I got kitted up, I looked out across the ocean and suddenly felt like I was going to be a very, very tiny fish in a very, very big pond!

The first dive had very low visibility - less than 2 metres, so I was pretty freaked out as we descended down the anchor line! Steve stayed with me, real close so that made me feel better. Because of the terrible viz and because it was my first time in the sea (hence a tiny bit panicky!) I got a bit confused at one point which way was up and which way was down, really weird sensation! Suddenly I was at the bottom and it took me a while to get my head around the sights I could see and for my eyes to adjust to the viz and light conditions. After I had got calm and collected, Steve tested me on my skills again (very different to doing it in the pool!) and then we went for a swim about along the bottom. He held my hand the whole time and I was so pleased he did because I know if he had let go, I would have gotten lost very quickly due to the strong current and poor viz! Then, suddenly, I realised that in amongst the nothingness I could see things - fish - lots of them - all different sorts - and very quickly all sense of panic subsided and I realised I was enjoying myself! We came up after 20 mins and I couldn't believe how fast the time had passed!

When everyone was back, we headed to the next dive site (called '3 Ships') and again, once I threw myself into the water, I got a bit scared again - this time the viz was slightly better, but the current was much much stronger so it took some time to get to the bottom - this time much deeper (18m). Once at the bottom, I was tested on some more skills and then Steve took me for a swim. Although the viz was a tiny bit better, he took my hand so I didn't get lost or carried away by the current. Within moments, I was aware that this site had WAY more aquatic life than the first dive. Thousands and thousands of fish, all different shapes, sizes and colours. It was absolutely great! The other amazing things, and oddly incredibly beautiful, were the 3 shipwrecks - a bizarre contrast of something so man-made and alien in this natural environment, only they had obviously been there so long, that nature had taken them over, so they were mere skeletons of the boats they once were, almost unrecognisable, tattooed with an array of sealife - urchins, barnacles, plantlife, shells and I don't know what else. This twisted their appearance and made them seem at one with the bottom of the sea. Amazing.

Steve knelt us down next to the biggest wreck and pointed at the stern of the ship. I looked and saw some pretty fish and nodded back to him. He pointed again. I looked again, saw fish and nodded again. This went on and on another 5 or 6 times, each time I grew more confused and realised that there was something there which I obviously wasn't seeing, so I looked again, harder this time. The wreck was coloured a beautiful brown colour, but not from rust, instead from the multitude of plants, swaying in the current. My eyes followed along the stern. I had no idea what I was looking for. As my eyes drew all the way to the very end, I still could see nothing, other than white/yellow fish. Then my eyes refocused and I saw that the very end of the ship was not the shape of the 'point' of a ship. I saw what looked like lips. I traced by eyes back from this shape and, like a magic eye picture (which I can't actually do!), suddenly was revealed an absolutely GIGANTIC fish! I let out a definite scream! It was so huge and so very, very close! It was so well blended in colour-wise with the ship, that where the ship ended, my eyes had not noticed where the fish began! As soon as I had seen it, my eyes then allowed me to appreciate this monster in all its glory! I looked at Steve and he was smiling, as I had (at last!) seen what he had been trying to show me this whole time! We moved up on top of the stern and peered over, so we were looking down over it, over its head, then over to the other side. I couldn't believe how large it was - about 10feet long! I was sure it could swallow me whole if it wanted to! Thankfully it was a very large 'Grouper' (pronounced 'groper' which is funny enough in itself!) and they are harmless. After that encounter, we swam around the rest of the wrecks and I saw many, many more fish of all shapes, sizes and colours, including cod (they're massive too!), parrot fish, stripys and many many more whose names I do not recall now. Before we ascended, we went back to the big Grouper and had another look, it still astounded me!

Back at the ship, after being under for 46mins I was really excited and Steve was regaling the others with the fact that I had not seen the Grouper for so long and that my eventual big underwater yelp had really made him laugh!

We returned to shore and I was dropped off at the YHA, arriving back at about 5pm, somewhat redder than I had left! Apparently factor 20 is not enough when you are at sea! Needless to say, I got showered and headed straight down the local shop for some after-sun and factor 30!

When I got back, I had a new room mate - Richard from Sheffield. We had a chat and then decided to head to town, where we went to the fish & chip shop and I had what I had long been craving - flake & chips (aka shark!). It was deeeeeeeeeeeelicious! Next we popped next door to the Torquay Hotel and had a couple of drinks (my second beer of the trip - Toohey's Old! Yum!) before heading back to the ranch for a last drink and chat in the lounge. Up early again (5.45am!) tomorrow for day 2 of diving!