18
Location: Great Barrier Reef
Today was our last day aboard the dive boat. We woke up ridiculously early so we could participate in our first dive at 6:30 am. At first, we were all a little doubtful of diving so early in the morning, but it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful dive as we saw the sunrise from underwater. We spotted a large group of bumphead parrotfish and a few stingrays. Afterward, the boat moved to another part of Flynn Reef, which is home to a large wall of coral near the southern tip of the reef. On our second dive, we donned our slightly damp wetsuits and giant-strided into the water to witness, what was, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful dive sites ever. The whole coral ledge was just exploding with life and color; there were so many different types of tropical fish that it resembled a huge aquarium. Most of the dive was relatively shallow, but we dove down to about 20 meters to observe a small white-tip reef shark resting on the bottom. While we were swimming around, we also encountered a green sea turtle that was grazing on some of the vegetation on the bottom. On the third dive of the day, we all jumped into the water to relish our last time on the reef. The colors were unforgettable, ranging from cerulean staghorn coral to chartreuse coral that resembled huge heads of lettuce. We also practiced our underwater trick skills, doing flips and twists in the waters above the reef. After getting out, we packed up all our gear and enjoyed a nice nap in the sun on the top deck of the boat as we made our way back to Cairns. Once we arrived back in the harbor, we took a shuttle back to Motel Nomad, where we enjoyed a very restful night of sleep.