The Great Barrier Reef

Live-aboard at The Great Barrier Reef

Our two day, one night trip started off early Monday morning. We boarded the Sea Quest where we ventured out to The Reef and spent the day at sea before transferring to our live-aboard

Using Derek’s GoPro for the first time!

Transferred to the Ocean Quest for our night on the live-aboard

Our room, much larger and nicer than I had anticipated.

Our view!

Some snorkeling before dinner

Some highlights from snorkeling on The Great Barrier Reef!!!! (still cannot believe it!)

“Swimming” with Sharks! While Derek was actually diving I stay back and we laid on a platform and we were lowered into the water while the staff above through food in for the sharks and fish. It was intense and probably one of the coolest things I have done!

Check out the 2:00 min, 2:40 min, and 6:25 min mark

Getting ready for a long night

Luckily I had my Pringles….

Day two aboard the Ocean Quest

New Location…

Below I share the next pictures I feel like it needs the back story. If you were to ask me what is something I am terrified of and have zero desire to do, I would think diving. I have no idea why it is so scary. It could be the fact that I am not in control and that I cannot just surface if I want, it could also be that I have never been a fan of water, or it simply be I have not had a lot of snorkeling experience (only been a couple times). Either way, I had no plans to ever go scuba diving…ever.

Well, when I met Derek it was the first time I had ever known someone who was passionate about diving. It made me curious and I almost tried in the Philippines, but our trip was cancelled because of a typhoon.

But here I was, sitting on this boat while Derek was on one of his 7 dives. It was getting to be the end of our time on The Reef and I have no idea what got into me, but I raised my hand to try before I had time to think.

The instructor was super patient and understood that this was my biggest fear. It took me a really long time to do the test and I really needed to get out of my head. After a lot of eye contact and getting out of my head I had passed the test (and I was ready to call it a day) but the instructor encouraged me to just come down for a little bit with some other intro divers.

Looking back I am glad I did the dive however it was the scariest 20 minutes of my life…I had to talk to myself the entire time and a lot of the time my eyes where closed. I must have been biting down on my oxygen so hard that I cut it. We did see a turtle eating the coral and some amazing fish, however I will stick to snorkeling from here on out.

I am super glad I did it because now I can say with knowledge of the experience, that it is not for me!

Derek had come back from diving and was looking for me. He through there was no way I would go, I wanted him to have no idea as I wanted it to be something I decided to do on my own. He grabbed my camera when one of the staff told him I was trying out diving and got there great shots.