I'm now a CERFTIFIED OPEN WATER DIVER! WAHOO!!!...and what a place to learn how to dive...THE GREAT BARRIER REEF!! I've just completed a five day course, 2 days of pool/theory work and then we headed out on a boat for 3 days to complete our dives and explore the reefs, about 3 hours from cairns! I was pretty nervous to begin with...the lessons on how to cope with emergencies, such as running out of air (just a minor problem!!!!!) didn't exactly put me at ease. But the instructors were absolutely brilliant and put me at ease straight away both in the pool and the big wide ocean, the set up was faultless we had just 6 ppl per instructor, and the boat was luxury (compared to some of the hostels i've been staying @ lately!). during the 3 days i did 8 dives..yes 8...it was sooo tiring, we were having to get up at 6pm at the latest. And our first dive this morning was at 5.30am!!Was a great experience though and i even got the chance to do a night dive last night-which was a unique experience that not many newly certified divers will get to experience. The reef itself is amazing, an array of beautiful colours, countless numbers of varying species of fish, coral etc etc....we even managed to see a shark this morning (v. exciting-me and libby (my dive buddy) had been seraching for one all day the previous day!). I've got some piccies...which i will put on here eventually....although think me a libby were taking more pictures of each other rather than the fish!lol! There was a really nice mixture of people on the boat, from all over the world and of varying ages but everyone mixed really well and thanks for the food roger-it was bloody fantatsic...back to the 2 minute noodles for me though :o( ....have to admit thought i have been having a few days of luxury, the hostel i'm staying at...well i don't think u'd really call it a hostel more like a holiday inn hotel really-v.v.v. nice!! Got about 5 days left in cairns now, before flying to alice springs so just gotta decide what to do with myself-possibly a trip upto port douglas/cape tribulation, as everyone has been going on about how nice it is up there with the beaches and rainforest....

....tried downloading pictures but it keeps crashing.....

thanks for the e-mails/msgs guys...keep them coming, sorry if i'm a bit lack in replying-but time seems to be going so fast at the moment and i feel like i don't have enough time to fit everything in. it won't be long till i come home thou and i can bore u all to death with piccies and stories then...:o)

take care. lots of love xxxxx