Open Water Course@Great Barrier Reef day 2

moonset

Early morning, the moon setting while the sun wakes up and shine the world! Isn't it amazing where you can watch the moon set on one side and the sun rise on the other? 

That gorgeous moon actually waked Peter up at the early morning around 6 something and Peter just grabbed his nikon and straight out to the dive deck. Not diving but taking picture :)

Sunrise

We had our 3rd and fourth training dives with Ethan today. Overall it wasn't really that difficult to pass the open water course. Eventually we got our diving license at our third dive underwater! We did the mask skill and the videographer was with us all the time to record us doing skills and presented with our license. Phew~~~ $700 is not wasted then! But poor Brett who came from London, couldn't equalize his ears from 2nd dive onwards. Cannot equalize means you cannot go any deeper when your ear hurts, so he didn't get the license. And he actually paid for an advanced course, which might be around $100 more. He might be able to redo the course again at least... Good luck to him..

Group photo time! 

So since we passed and got our license, we will do the rest of the few dives on our own, paired with a buddy. So P&A will dive together on our own! It is much better when we do it on our own, without the need to practice skills, just us underwater looking at the beautiful corals, turtles, touching the giant clam, watching the christmas tree worm retract into their burrows when we touch it... =P It is so beautiful and relaxing. At all times we have to look at the air tank and it's time to go back up..

Christmas tree worm

Briggs Reef

sunset

Almost time for night dive!!! Crazy EXCITING!!

The night dive is really interesting; we followed a guide and went in a group. We hold a torch light in our hands. At night, it is a different world altogether. The bigger Red Bass hunting for small fish, turtle sleeping under the rocks, reef shark swimming around swiftly... So exciting! When we saw the turtles sleeping, we cannot shine the torch at them because it will interrupt their sleeping as they only sleep 4 hours a day. Then all of us cover the torch with our hands, so it went dark all of a sudden. But there are still light from the Moon. Cool...

Then Joel caught a pufferfish in his hands, the poor fish bloated up immediately smaller than the size of a basketball. Joel then shone his torch into the fish's belly, which makes it looked like a lantern! How cute... LOL....

This night dive is an experience we never thought to have before~ It feels just amazing to explore the reefs at night and the whole atmosphere just feels so mysterious and exciting. 

Our diving license!

NEXT: Last day @ GBR