Making My Dreams Reality

I spent last week in Cairns (pronounced “Cans” by Aussies), which is the land of rainforest and reef. It’s no embellishment to say I was living a Planet Earth episode.

I started my trip with a boat ride to Fitzroy Island, where I spent the day snorkeling over the reef and bush-walking throughout the rainforest.

On Tuesday, I joined a tour of the waterfalls of the Atherton Tablelands. The tour group was mostly young adult female adventurers like me, and we had a blast getting to know each other while exploring gorgeous natural landscapes. Our tour guide was a local indigenous Australian, so we also learned much about the history and culture surrounding each of the places we visited.

On Wednesday, I went to Kuranda, which was listed as a Wet Tropics World Heritage Area in 1988. Despite this being my latest morning bus pickup, it was an extremely stressful bus ride because I received a notification that my boat liveaboard for the next two days (therefore scuba diving, the thing I had been most looking forward to!) was canceled due to rough, windy conditions. Unwilling to forfeit my scuba diving experience at the Great Barrier Reef, I quickly found another boat with mooring permits for the inner reef, which would be protected from the windy conditions that led to the cancelation of my original booking.

As soon as I hung up the phone after ensuring the most important part of my trip was still happening, our bus driver came back from dropping off a group at the Rainforest Skyrail and said they had bought an extra ticket, couldn’t return it, and it was up for grabs. My hand shot straight up. The morning was definitely looking up considering I would still be able to go scuba diving and I would be able to take the Skyrail to Kuranda, which didn’t fit into my budget originally. I would have still enjoyed Kuranda just taking the bus up and back, but goodness was I thankful that I chanced upon this extra ticket! The Skyrail coasts over the breathtaking rainforest canopy, and has stops at two learning stations where I participated in guided walks about rainforest ecology. 

In Kuranda Village, I visited the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary where I learned about the diversity and life history of butterflies as I enjoyed the many flittering species raised at the sanctuary. 

I ended my day in Kuranda with the Rainforest Walks around the outskirts of Kuranda Village, enjoying chirping birds, colorful flowers, and beautiful scenery.

Finally, on Thursday morning the time came for me to take the scuba diving boat trip I had earned certification for and worked so hard to secure. The first thing said to me when I walked up to the Coral Sea Dreaming boat in Marlin Marina was that I needed to take my shoes off and leave them at the dock! Excitedly, I chucked my tennis shoes in the bucket and boarded the boat where Leo, the dive instructor of the trip, Claire, the other certified diver, and my fellow passengers greeted me. Shortly, we were underway traversing two-meter waves for a three-hour ride to the reef. I was thankful I did not get seasick like several of the other passengers because as soon as we arrived at the Great Barrier Reef, Claire, Leo, and I donned our wetsuits and diving gear for the first dive. 

We did five dives in total: two the first day, a night dive after dark, and two the second day. These hours spent on the bottom of the ocean were absolutely unparalleled. In my opinion, the difference between snorkeling and diving is observing the fish versus being one of them. As a fish for these couple days, I got to chase after a sea turtle, spot a black-tipped reef shark, and see more colors, sizes, and patterns of fish than I could possibly keep track of.

My favorite animal since childhood has always been a sea turtle. I even used to collect figurines of them, but seeing one actually wasn’t my favorite moment of diving. 

At one point, the three of us were sitting on a sandy patch at the bottom of the ocean, taking in the vibrant corals around us when all of a sudden we were encircled by a school of barracuda. Although I’m an avid nature-goer, sitting 10 meters underwater, surrounded by speedy, glittering barracuda was one of the most humbling and awe-inspiring moments I have ever experienced. 

My other favorite moment was on our night dive. Using special flashlights, we observed a different assemblage of fish than in the day, but the best part was when we sat at the bottom and covered all of our lights. Surrounded by darkness, hearing only the passing of air through my regulator, seeing only the silhouette of the reef against the boat lights above, I felt insignificant. Every being is only a small piece of our planet, yet humans tend to place themselves at the center of the universe, all-important. 

Being humbled, awe-inspired, and left feeling insignificant reminded me why I am so invested in having a career as a conservation biologist: I cannot imagine my own life without these experiences, let alone living in a society absent of them. 

Lastly, after my wondrous, thoughtful diving, I ended my trip on a high note (literally), jumping off a platform into the rainforest! When I was planning my trip, I happened upon a deal for AJ Hackett’s, the only place to go bungy jumping in Australia. I consider myself a thrill-seeker, so I jumped (haha) at the chance to free-fall through the rainforest… twice!

Although I’m sad to have left life as a Planet Earth episode, life down under is still on the upside as I start trimester classes and my research at the Australian Museum this week!