December 30 - Australia: Cairns
I can't believe we're actually getting paid for this.
Now, true. It's a lot of manual labor and there are a few hours where we run around like crazy trying to get gear together, to get the boat moored, and various other nutty things. And we're physically exhausted at the end of the day. But it all comes down to one thing: we're getting paid to hang out on a boat and snorkel/dive/stand in the sun.
Today, Jon found that politics exists on a scuba boat just as they do in any other company. And today, he played his cards right by being in the right place at the right time and speaking up when he heard an opportunity present itself. Because of his ingenious maneuvering, he got to lead a group of divers and finally got two dives in. I led the snorkelers which - understandably - is a let-down compared to Jon's opportunity.
But, again, I have to remember that I got paid to snorkel. If that's my biggest complaint, then life is obviously good.
Heidi's Snorkel Trip #1 - Pontoon
So my snorkel group was quite large, actually. It varied anywhere between 10-14 people depending on who was in the water. On the first trip we saw fish (duh), some massive clams, and two turtles. Two of the snorkelers saw a whitetip reef shark, but it was long gone by the time the rest of us got there. The current was pretty strong on the first trip, so I had to keep everyone close by.
After we were out for about 10 minutes, two of my snorkelers (a mother and a daughter) were calling for the "taxi" (dinghy) to come pick them up because the daughter's fins were too small and her mask was fogged up. Now, it's OK to give the "taxi" sign if you're caught in a current and can't possibly swim back. But they were within 50 meters of the boat. And if the dinghy is out picking up snorkelers, then it's not available in case of emergency. So I towed both of them back to the boat. This is when I realized how kick-ass our new fins are. They're Mares Quatros and boy do they pack a punch. I had no problems towing these two back to the boat despite going against the current. I'm glad we sprung for the "better" fins rather than the cheap ones. It's definitely paid off.
Heidi's Snorkel Trip #2 - Troppo Lounge
The second trip out was a little less hectic than the first, because the current was less and the mother/daughter team was pleased with their equipment. Our second snorkel was infested with trigger fish, but Troppo Lounge is always a favorite with the trigger fish. They've seem to calm down, though. They didn't charge any of my snorkelers even though we were only feet above them and obviously intruding on their turf.
We saw a nice big turtle about 10 meters below us toward the end of the snorkel trip. I pointed it out to the group and, by this time, we'd accumulated some of the Japanese tourists who had finished their dive and decided to join us. They hovered over the turtle for a while. When the turtle began to swim gracefully to the surface they swam along with it and tried to touch it. Now, obviously, the turtle was aware of this and was trying to avoid them. But they were blocking its access to air. So I had to power-swim up to them to stop them from ganging up on it and to let the turtle surface and go under again. They had NO idea what I was talking about because they didn't speak English, but it all worked out for the best.
People on the Boat
We met some great people on the boat today. Steven and Rosanna are both from San Francisco. Steven and his wife Christina (who was not on the boat) have been traveling since June - just like we have! We've been to many of the same places and had a great time comparing stories and experiences. They started out in Russia and did some of the Eastern Block before heading to Africa and onto India, Nepal, Thailand, and China. They spent some time volunteering in Africa and Thailand and had some great experiences to talk about. We definitely enjoyed talking to them and hanging out for most of the ride back to Cairns.
This is one of the best parts of this job. The people that we've met have been incredibly cool and interesting to talk to. They come from all over the world and have such interesting perspectives on life, Australia, and other aspects of the world. It makes the "high service" element of Sea Quest worthwhile.