Here's Damon and Kristin strolling in Cairns.
Damon and I spent two days taking classes at
"Down Under Dive", across the street from the
hostel. They have a classroom and a pool in back.
Oh, right, we had to swim 200m and tread water
for 10 minutes, to demonstrate fitness. The 200m
test was the first time I've been in a swimming
pool in several years! I was a bit tired afterwards.
It was a fun class, I was oldest person there
by some eight years.
It was pretty clear to me
that we were getting rather streamlined training,
though I assume it covered the necessary basics.
The main skills we practiced over and
over were finding the mask or respirator if they
came off in the water.
I should mention that I had several surgeries on my
right ear, some 12 years ago, to remove a polyp from
near the eardrum. I was advised never to dive! Having
had no further problems in that time, however,
I decided to take the risk, since I'd long wanted to
try it. Might as well risk it at what some people
claim is the finest diving spot on planet Earth: The Great Barrier Reef.
After two days of classes, we put to sea...
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