Day 30: Great Barrier Reef

Our second sea excursion today, and another early start - leave the apartment at 7.10 for the bus journey to Shute Harbour.

Not going to be quite such a gentle experience as yesterday, we are going on one of the huge catamarans that drew derision from all of us when we saw one yesterday at Whitehaven.

We are in some luck though as the numbers are very light - about 40 people as opposed to a couple of hundred.

We browse through the literature and see that they offer introductory scuba dives, which interests us both. We complete a lengthy medical questionnaire, only to both hand them over and then start adding a litany of medical conditions that "we though we'd better just mention, but didn't think we needed to put on the form". Amazingly we're both fit enough so we're on.

The catamaran absolutely stonks along, and as soon as we are past the islands and hit open water, there is spray being thrown up several decks and soaking the back seats, out in the open. And on several decks, various passengers are behaving in a similar way.

After about an hour, we arrive at [fanfare] ReefWorld. Or two pontoons, anchored to the Great Barrier Reef. I can't get the idea of the movie Westworld out of my head, and just hope that Yul Brynner doesn't show up again and go mental.

We take a cruise in the semi-submersible that goes around the reef, with a massive viewing chamber underneath which is fantastic, then we head off for the dignified experience of getting ready for the dive.

For me, this first consists of trying to find an optical diving mask that I can actually see through, then on to what to wear! We go for the full length lycra one-pieces (see the stinger suits from yesterday). Having learnt a little bit, I avoid the yellow, pink and panelled suits and score an all-black number. This goes on, followed by a short wetsuit that, though it fits around the middle, is about an inch too short and I can feel it compressing my spine quite nicely.

Dan has been struggling like mad to get his stinger suit on followed by the wetsuit, only to be finally told that as he has a full-length wetsuit, there's no need for the lycra.

We go to get fitted with tanks and weight belts.

This diving lark must be a fetishist's dream come true - first lycra, then a rubber suite. Next you are told to bend over whilst someone comes up behind you and fixes a heavy belt around your middle; then you are strapped into a heavy tank harness, then finally as you walk into the water, someone hands you a pot of vaseline to smear on your moustache so that the mask will form a seal (which it doesn't really anyway, but I digress).

We go into the moon pool. which is basically a metal walkway submerged under the pontoon so that we can go through all of the procedures and get used to the idea of breathing under water - an idea that our parents spent years teaching us not to do.

This does take quite a while to get sorted, and it is pretty uncomfortable at times, trying not to breathe through your nose which is sitting in a pool of water. Visibility is poor to the sides, the air dries out your mouth and everything feels very constricted due to the tightness of the suits and the tanks strapped around you. Unfortunately it is a bit too much for Dan, so he opts to just go through the training and not out into the open water.

Hi Dan here, I've had to add to this post. Matt has been far too kind and generous to sum up 'what happened under the platform' in one sentence. 'A bit too much' is an understatement, the fear had started to hit me long before getting into attire! However, I try to rationalise with myself - god know how other people do it (Matt I applaud you) every fear of water I ever had when I was little has come flooding back. As we sit underwater breathing unaturally, anything that could give me the fear does. I can't see the bottom, I think I'm going to sink, I have water in my nose, the instructor thinks I'm okay, stop making the 'okay?' symbol at me, why can't I remember the 'no' symbol?, why is he continuing? No, this is full on panic attack central. The fear has struck me bad, when Matt finds me later with said 'Gin & Tonic' I tell him I can't even begin to tell him everything that frightened me. I'm told by the instructor later 'it's very common' and given a partial refund, which I have to say is very generous considering!

We eventually head out into the water and pull ourselves along the ropes strung in the water. Once I eventually get used to breathing, it is a great experience, getting to look all around, seeing probably thousands of fish. The dive instructor even brings us various bits of wildlife to interfere with such as a giant clam, a sea cucumber and a star fish. A bit further on he starts shaking fish food around to attract fish. This is great at first until he then proceeds to throw food at our masks - cue an explosion of fish around your face. One even nipped my ear. Relaxing.

We also got to meet Wally, the male wrass on this bit of the reef. Absolutely huge - about 1.5m long. Not the biggest fish though, that goes to George who is 3.5m long. He stays under the other end of the pontoon, so we don't get to see him. We both later try to get photos of him that will in anyway show how big this damn fish is, but we're not sure it's going to show.

At the end of the dive I go to find Dan, who is in the bar, draining a gin and tonic. He goes off on the sub whilst I go for a snorkel around the reef, then it's back on the cat for a high-speed return to Airlie Beach.

Tomorrow: Back to Sydney and the final days of the trip