This week, a large majority of the GAV program traveled up to Cairns for spring break. Upon arrival, we were all hit with a heat and humidity wave, as Cairns is nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than Sydney. Despite my efforts of surviving the extreme heat and humidity here, these past three days have been nothing short of amazing. Firstly, on our first full day, which was this past Sunday, many of the GAV students spent the day on a boat that travelled to the Great Barrier Reef, about 1:20 hours off the harbor of Cairns. Many of us on the boat had signed up for scuba diving, and to have signed up was undeniably the best decision I have made on this trip, by far. Though I have had no previous scuba diving experience, which caused for some butterflies in my stomach as we were getting the introductory diving briefing as well as when we started to gear up, I knew that not only would this be one of the most memorable experiences of my life, but if I were to not go through with this activity, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Upon jumping into the water, and having my first glance and experience swimming with the many different kids of fish and marine life, as well as looking up close to the beautiful and vibrant reefs and corals, I was almost entirely stunned that I was actually scuba diving around the Great Barrier Reef. My first dive was incredible, peeling off the band-aid into an entirely different world of life on our planet that I would have never expected to see. My second dive, which was not even a mile away from the first site, may have been my favorite. On this dive, not only did I witness a shark for the first time (a roughly 6-foot white tip reef shark), but our instructor led us through the intricate and ornate tunnels of the Great Barrier Reef. My favorite part of the dive was the instructor having me and a friend place out hands over a live clam, to which the clam immediately enclosed. Overall, this was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Another highlight of this trip was our waterfall excursion. Traveling around 2 hours outside of Cairns, seeing the beautiful landscape of the country, and witnessing some more wildlife made for an unbelievable day. The highlight of this tour was this one particular waterfall in which we travelled to. Underneath a massive waterfall in the middle of the rainforest, a beautiful oasis of water opened up, which was completely free for the public to swim in. Though the water was quite brisk, and the bottom of the watering hole was filled with extremely sharp rocks, me and a bunch of buddies made it through and camped out behind the waterfall for what seemed to feel like an hour – thats how amazing the experience was. The best part was I brought my GoPro, which was key for getting some great footage up close to the waterfall, as well as behind. I would highly suggest to anyone who travels to Cairns to not only take a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, but to also check out all of the waterfalls, watering holes, and beautiful landscapes that Cairns has.
