Moonrise

Up and at ‘em early for more diving! 

We entered the water as the sun rose on one side of the boat and the moon lingered on the other. Our dawn dive at a spot called “360” was worth every bit of lost sleep: we saw a sea turtle! As our dive guide had said beforehand, the turtles are sleepy in the morning, just like you! We saw one turtle just beneath the surface, gliding effortlessly as its legs waved back and forth through the water. The second was much deeper, weaving through the reef.

Diving once more with Joey, we went around and through the reef, oohing and aahing internally at the gorgeous colors of the lively reef. Josh and I were more and more comfortable with each dive that we did. By the end, we were able to do a flip to enter the water, even in our heavy gear, and follow Joey without issue (or ear damage). We snorkeled and dove again later that morning, this time at a portion of the reef called “5 ways” because the reef is transected in 5 places, such that a scuba diver can swim all the way through the reef multiple ways. We tried this with Joey, and while it was challenging to avoid the reef in the narrower bits, it definitely felt like an adventure. Afterward, Josh and I agreed that it felt kind of like exploring a sunken ship, because sometimes the rock closed above your head and you were momentarily in its shadow. We saw many of the same characters during our dive: sea cucumbers, schools of fish, little fish near the surface, giant fish nearer the floor, long tendrils of an unknown plant or animal stretching out into the open water (to me it looked like a tapeworm, but that’s because everything looks like a disease to a white coat).

Soon enough, it was time to return to shore. 

We retraced our bubbles (boatwaves? waveprints?) to Cairns and were suddenly on land. It was the first time in 36 hours that the ground didn’t rock beneath our feet. We trekked back to our rented room and basked in the AC and the cold luxury of the shower. On the boat, we had been permitted one 3-minute shower per day, so we were constantly salty. Refreshed, we ventured back out for dinner on the Esplanade and a moonlit walk. Cairns, like the other Australian cities we’ve visited, has some pretty great public spaces along the waterfront. It had a boardwalk as well as paved walking and bike paths. A large, gradually-deepening salt water pool (the Esplanade Lagoon) is well-used and well-loved by locals, who go for an evening dip and use the public barbecues along its perimeter. Outdoor fitness equipment dots the bike paths and signs broadcast public fitness classes held in these public spaces every day of the week. As we walked, the moon rose from behind the mountains and up into the sky, full and luminescent. I don’t think I’d ever really watched a moon rise before. Though the sky doesn’t change and the world doesn’t wake, a moonrise has its own beauty because you can look at it head-on.

Spotted: Didgeridoo. The sound of this Aboriginal instrument is really growing on me, now that we’ve heard it a few times in a few cities. If you want to listen to the didgeridoo until it grows on you, here’s10 hours of music.

Tip: Grill'd is a local burger chain that can accommodate almost any dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, etc). Plus, they have great salads! After a couple of weeks on the road, we'll take a salad any chance we can get.