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the reef's the turquoise bit in the distance
It's nice to be on a smaller boat than the huge motor cruisers, which carry up to 300 people, because there's only fifteen of us on board and it's a much more intimate sailing experience. However with a catamaran of this size, it's easier to feel the waves as they pull us up, down and side to side, so we soon begin to regret having forgotten to pick up the travel sickness pills off the side when we left this morning! I just keep my eyes fixed on the static horizon and try not to move my head around too much! It's always the same. Going sailing looks so appealing from dry land but, as I get older, motion sickness seems to take it's hold easier. It's really unfortunate that blue bottle jellyfish have infested the water around the Upolu reef because it means that when we all get in the water to go snorkelling we all get stung and it's not a very nice experience.
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blue bottle jelly at the top of the picture
It's like a nettle sting and the pain lasts for around ten minutes before it subsides leaving a small welt. There are so many of them in the water, (they're dark blue and clear 'bubbles' about the size of your little finger with a stinger tail that can be up to two metres long) that it's impossible to avoid swimming past them. It's a very uncomfortable experience and it's not long before everyone is upset by the stings and making their way back to the boat. We do see a few tropical fish but don't make it all the way out to the reef bed. It's a real shame and it's a very unusual event to see so many of them at this time of year. Normally they congregate closer to shore but our captain advises us that due to the unusually warm waters the blue bottle numbers are rising. He's obviously disappointed for us and encourages us to try an introductory dive because going further down would eliminate being stung by the jellies on the surface. We're both very keen to see if we would enjoy the experience but unfortunately due to Greg's asthma, the State of Queensland diving regulations prevent him from trying it even though his condition is very mild. It's an over precautionary regulation and Iris the dive co-ordinator advises us that once he receives a clean bill from a dive doctor he'll be all set to give it a go. I still opt in and get geared up with an oxygen tank strapped to my back, mouthpiece and flippers. Iris gives us a few pointers on how to clear our mask if it fills with water and how to remove our mouthpiece underwater should we need to. Aside from this brief introduction we're simply guided off the back of the boat and beckoned to begin our descent by using a rope dangling from the boat.
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me in my diving gear, jumping into the water
Extra weights round our waists help us to sink and Iris fiddles with our equipment to release the pressure. Once we hit the sandy bottom, around ten metres, we begin our underwater tour of the reef. It's very impressive to view the large numbers of colourful fish and coral up close and personal. I have to train myself to get used to breathing in and out, releasing all the bubbles to the surface, and not to panic. It's a very calm and slow paced environment under the violent waves above. Little shoals of yellow fish flurry around the anemones and larger rainbow coloured fish hide under the bigger coral formations. We see stripey flounders and are very excited when we come across little Nemos (clown fish) swimming in and out of the anemones. Iris picks up a black sea cucumber off the sandy floor and passes it round. It's just as I expected it to feel, like a moving water balloon! We spend a good forty minutes round the reef before we ascend and swim back to the boat. This time I'm only stung once as I make my way back.
