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Another sleepless night due to the wind, and we were packed and off. Originally to Bunbury but I booked a ship-wreck dive on the former HMAS Swan and its in Dunsborough so to Dunsborough! On the drive to Dunsborough we stopped at the Valley of the Giants, sounds impressive doesn't it?Basically, a bunch of huuuuuge trees with a walkway suspended in the treetops which was pretty cool.
We found a campsite not far from the dive shop and once set up decided to pop into the town 2.5kms away. Our new navman took us on a slight detour of 17kms around the mountains….lovely.
I had slight feelings of anxiety the night before the dive as I am an inexperienced diver and haven't done it for seven months (diving that is).So after a few hours of checking and rechecking equipment I was ready for bed.
I woke excitedly before my alarm, much to the annoyance of Gem, and started to load my things.I got to the dive shop having forgotten half the things I checked and rechecked the night before and had to go back and get them.Luckily only 2.5kms away if suitable ignorance is paid to GPS navigation systems.
Back to the dive shop and had the dive brief too busy listening to instructions to allow anxiety back in. Short drive to the beach and the boat was there awaiting our arrival. After loading the boat with all the equipment we were off. A small chop but I felt ok (for now) another quick brief from my dive master, who also happened to be my buddy, we were in the water. Visibility seemed okay but the ship wasn't visible yet.
We descended in our pairs and lurching from the vivid blue I saw her. The ocean only allowing me glimpses of 10 to 15m at a time but I was in awe.A childhood fantasy has become reality.I had encircled her whole hull, swam into the bridge and thought to myself 'I wonder if I turned the gas off in the caravan'. Then before I knew it 35 mins had gone and we were ready to do our decompression stops. Up we go.
Back on the boat exhilarated yet a feeling of nausea building (anyone who has seen me on an anchored boat in a swell knows the picture). I wasn't the only one but certainly the most impressive…fish love museli. We dropped a few of the worse affected victims of sea-sickness at a beach close by, swapped tanks, and were ready for a second dive.
After another quick chunder (tomato soup this time) I was in the water descending feeling glad to get off the boat. I found her still as impressive as the first time we swam down and looked at the Hull which looked intimidatingly large. We then swam her whole length and we entered her rear (ooh er missus) swimming inside her various rooms, cargo holds and yes, you guessed it, the s***ters. They intrigued me as they offered stark evidence of human habitation at one time. Me being me I couldn't resist yep, full scuba gear, pretending to take a s*** on a shipwreck 25m down.
Sorry for the lack of photos but my camera isn't capable of the depths at which we were, I know you were dying to see me in my toilet pose.
Time over took us once more and it was time to surface. Great, I got to be Captain Chunder again. Then, that was that for the day.Back to the shop, sort gear out, pick Gem up and to the pub for a well earned beer and pizza, even if the pub did still feel like it was afloat.
Gem's note: So what on earth did Gem do while Rich was off gallivanting with the fishies I hear you ask. Well, 3 or 4 magazines of the Closer, Now, Take a Break genre (courtesy of Danvers), Becoming Jane on DVD and a family size bar of Cadbury's Fruit and Nut…what more could any girl ask for!
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