Photo: GBR off the coast of Townsville, Queensland, Australia - note the clam in blue.
This past spring I started preparing for my trip to Australia. For many years I have wanted visit Australia and see the GREAT BARRIER REEF. I had the reef built up in mind so grand I couldn't wait to get my scuba gear on and get in! So there I am, finally there. We had storms come through the area and had to reroute our trip to a different part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Our new location had a silty bottom and with new divers, that means we can stir up the bottom! So silty bottoms + new divers + bad weather = low visibility.
Photo: GBR
At one point in time I was feeling a little down about my GBR experience because in my mind I had this idea of of seeing the most pristine and beautiful site in the world. Then a friend on my trip said something that changed everything. "Nobody said this was the most beautiful reef, but it is the largest and you learned to scuba dive on the largest living coral reef in the world!" Wow, I did! The only living thing that can be seen from outer-space and I was there diving in and around it.
Photo: Me in Juno Bay during my scuba certification check offs
I can't believe I forgot to blog about this great dive experience earlier, but I was watching a show about diving in the Maldives Islands and thought I want to go there next. There are many beautiful places out there to dive, some small, some big. Just take it all in and breathe! (literally, don't forget to breathe! LOL)
So my final thoughts on the GBR? It was truly life changing, everything is OK.
I LOVE this post Kim! It’s amazing how our monumental expectations have the ability to supersede even the most incredible, surreal experiences of our life! I’ve found myself having to retool my thought process mid-adventure on several occasions. It’s wild the way preconceived notions can voyage so far from the reality of the experience! I’m convinced this is something we all have a tendency to do from time to time. I’m happy you had a friend who could alter your thought process a bit midstream. My better half has done that for me at various junctures along the way. This post really made me chuckle, but also made me think deeply about why we all tend to do this. Very good!
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