Snorkeling @ Julian Rocks
'Sundive' the dive shop we snorkeled with
Practicing in the pool
before getting on the boat
"Can you please keep your fins out of my face?"........"Thanks".......
A group of 7 of us got up and ready to be on the bus to Byron Bay by 9:30am in order to by at Sundive on time. We looked around at a few stores, but it would take a couple of long days to cover all of them. Byron Bay is a touristy town, with many shops and restaurants, and home to many backpackers from around the world. It is definitely an interesting place to visit, which is why I plan on taking a trip up there one day to simply shop the streets. It is also a great place to sun bathe, and home of many great surfers. The beaches are covered with people actually laying out. You don't see that much on the Lennox Head beach at all, and if you do they are topless women.
When we got to Sundive, there were many people who had just gotten back from a dive/snorkel. They were unloading the boats, getting their gear off and sanitizing it. The head of the dive shop, gave us full wet suites to try on and then our snorkels and fins. We were to go right next door to the Hostel pool and practice our skills with all of our gear on. It's really not too hard to get the hang of. The most challenging aspect for me was keeping my feet and fins submerged under water, because they say you are not supposed to be splashing the top of the water with your fins. So I finally got that down. It's nice that the suites kind of serve as a floatation device; makes my life as a snorkeler much easier. After practicing and waiting for our Skipper to be ready to go, we loaded into an old SUV with some other divers. I was listening to the other people talk amongst themselves and realized that one of the guys sounded much like an American. It's almost as though I have forgotten what an American sounds like when I'm surrounded by Aussies. I asked if he was American (not something I thought I would ever be asking someone), and he responded with a 'yup, are you?". YAY! Finally someone that I can relate to! He and a small group of his guy friends are currently staying in Sydney and have been for the past 5 weeks. They are leaving soon, but his words were "we are just here to **** off for 6 weeks." Well dang, must be nice! Whatever jobs they have, I would like to have some day! By the way, they are from San Fran, Cali. Anyhow, the ride there was interesting, and when we arrived and I got out at the boat ramp and saw the scenery, I about had a heart attack. SO BEAUTIFUL. The waters were a perfect green and blue and clear as can be. There was also a large rock (a few stories high) on one side of the boat ramp. There were tons of surfers, and I'm talking surfers, the really experienced kind.
We were instructed to help keep the boat stationed right near shore by our skipper while he parked the jeep, and we did just that. However, it was easier said than done. The waves, even though close to shore, were having no troubles trying to carry the boat away from where we wanted it. Our skipper then instructed all females to get in the boat and then the males, and off we went. Don't get me wrong, snorkeling was absolutely amazing, but the boat ride out to the Julian Rocks was by far, one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. I was so content with sitting on the edge of the boat holding on for dear life, dreading the ride to end. The waves were so large, yet calm. At times we were in the belly of a swell, and before we knew it, we were on the top of the swell. SO fun!!! But the ride was bound to end at some point. We hooked onto a buoy and were given some lessons on signs that can either be given by us to the skipper, or from the skipper to us. And then all I remember hearing is "what are you guys waiting for, jump in!" I am not going to lie, I was shaking in my fins thinking about jumping in that water. But, I did it! Salt water is not the best taste, but you get over it. I was pretty nervous for a while, but like anything else, you get over your fear with time and experience. We started swimming to the reef and starting seeing the most amazing fish. We even swam into a few pools of fish. So neat. As we were snorkeling we saw many, many breads of fish, two different kinds of sharks, a few sea turtles and a HUGE manteray. SO AWESOME!!! Also, throughout our time in the water, we were all getting stung like crazy on our chins and lips by the small jellyfish. It was a constant stinging feeling, but again, it wasn't life or death, and is something you get used to. Everyone was exhausted by the time we were done, but I was ready for round 2, 3, 4, and 100!!! I couldn't get over how amazing everything was. I was so tempted to go in one of the bays of the reef called the "cheese grater" (named for obvious reasons) but I kept thinking about how Dad would be telling me how dangerous it is. So Dad, with you in mind, I steered clear of the "cheese grater". We also saw the scuba divers as we were snorkeling. I wasn't prepared for how great snorkeling was going to be, and it is something that will never be far from my memory. Wish you were all with me to experience it with me!
Today, all of the students getting scuba certified got to go back to actually dive in the ocean, so all of the cabins were fairly empty. I enjoyed this for once. I had a great day on the beach, reading material for class and watching the kite surfers and dog walkers. And my confession of the day: I ate a lot of cookies and cream ice cream in which is catching up with me as I am typing. Bad news bears! Note to self; I am indeed still lactose intolerant.
When we got to Sundive, there were many people who had just gotten back from a dive/snorkel. They were unloading the boats, getting their gear off and sanitizing it. The head of the dive shop, gave us full wet suites to try on and then our snorkels and fins. We were to go right next door to the Hostel pool and practice our skills with all of our gear on. It's really not too hard to get the hang of. The most challenging aspect for me was keeping my feet and fins submerged under water, because they say you are not supposed to be splashing the top of the water with your fins. So I finally got that down. It's nice that the suites kind of serve as a floatation device; makes my life as a snorkeler much easier. After practicing and waiting for our Skipper to be ready to go, we loaded into an old SUV with some other divers. I was listening to the other people talk amongst themselves and realized that one of the guys sounded much like an American. It's almost as though I have forgotten what an American sounds like when I'm surrounded by Aussies. I asked if he was American (not something I thought I would ever be asking someone), and he responded with a 'yup, are you?". YAY! Finally someone that I can relate to! He and a small group of his guy friends are currently staying in Sydney and have been for the past 5 weeks. They are leaving soon, but his words were "we are just here to **** off for 6 weeks." Well dang, must be nice! Whatever jobs they have, I would like to have some day! By the way, they are from San Fran, Cali. Anyhow, the ride there was interesting, and when we arrived and I got out at the boat ramp and saw the scenery, I about had a heart attack. SO BEAUTIFUL. The waters were a perfect green and blue and clear as can be. There was also a large rock (a few stories high) on one side of the boat ramp. There were tons of surfers, and I'm talking surfers, the really experienced kind.
We were instructed to help keep the boat stationed right near shore by our skipper while he parked the jeep, and we did just that. However, it was easier said than done. The waves, even though close to shore, were having no troubles trying to carry the boat away from where we wanted it. Our skipper then instructed all females to get in the boat and then the males, and off we went. Don't get me wrong, snorkeling was absolutely amazing, but the boat ride out to the Julian Rocks was by far, one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. I was so content with sitting on the edge of the boat holding on for dear life, dreading the ride to end. The waves were so large, yet calm. At times we were in the belly of a swell, and before we knew it, we were on the top of the swell. SO fun!!! But the ride was bound to end at some point. We hooked onto a buoy and were given some lessons on signs that can either be given by us to the skipper, or from the skipper to us. And then all I remember hearing is "what are you guys waiting for, jump in!" I am not going to lie, I was shaking in my fins thinking about jumping in that water. But, I did it! Salt water is not the best taste, but you get over it. I was pretty nervous for a while, but like anything else, you get over your fear with time and experience. We started swimming to the reef and starting seeing the most amazing fish. We even swam into a few pools of fish. So neat. As we were snorkeling we saw many, many breads of fish, two different kinds of sharks, a few sea turtles and a HUGE manteray. SO AWESOME!!! Also, throughout our time in the water, we were all getting stung like crazy on our chins and lips by the small jellyfish. It was a constant stinging feeling, but again, it wasn't life or death, and is something you get used to. Everyone was exhausted by the time we were done, but I was ready for round 2, 3, 4, and 100!!! I couldn't get over how amazing everything was. I was so tempted to go in one of the bays of the reef called the "cheese grater" (named for obvious reasons) but I kept thinking about how Dad would be telling me how dangerous it is. So Dad, with you in mind, I steered clear of the "cheese grater". We also saw the scuba divers as we were snorkeling. I wasn't prepared for how great snorkeling was going to be, and it is something that will never be far from my memory. Wish you were all with me to experience it with me!
Today, all of the students getting scuba certified got to go back to actually dive in the ocean, so all of the cabins were fairly empty. I enjoyed this for once. I had a great day on the beach, reading material for class and watching the kite surfers and dog walkers. And my confession of the day: I ate a lot of cookies and cream ice cream in which is catching up with me as I am typing. Bad news bears! Note to self; I am indeed still lactose intolerant.
