As I was standing in line to check in and board the Reef Experience, the lady was asking some people ahead of me for their tickets. So, I decided to go ahead and pull mine up on my phone in case she asked for it. For those of you who don't wear women's clothes, I'll just put out there that we frequently don't get pockets, and when we do, they frequently are too small to be of any use. So, when my hands are full, I carry my phone in my bra. Bruce calls it my "square booby". As I moved the straps of the backpack around and started reaching for my phone, the guy beside the check-in mentioned how hot it was that morning. His eyes got as round as saucers, and he laughed and said, "Didn't expect that!" when I stuck my hand in my shirt and came out with my phone! But, I got boarded and situated. Those of us transferring to the overnight boat had a reserved table and munched on the breakfast buffet while the others listened to the day tripper briefing. Before we shoved off, I did get a bad picture of the bay from the front of the boat.
Before we got shoved off, one of the crew came to see me. Said he needed to talk to me before we departed based on my health questionnaire we filled out immediately upon boarding. He wanted to make sure I understood that with COPD and a prescribed inhaler, I was not allowed to dive. Remembering that huge panic attack I had when I was trying to get dive certified before the breathing problems started, I did let him know that I didn't plan to dive - that I was only interested in snorkeling. Of course, I didn't tell him that I had a panic attack trying to learn to dive. I didn't really thing it was relevant. I had practiced in the pool using my new full-face mask and settling to regain my breath when I exerted myself too hard. I did know that my breathing issues were relevant, though, and made sure the guy knew I wasn't upset that he had singled me out to talk to me. He also said that because of the breathing issues, they needed to put red tape on my snorkel so the person on watch could always easily locate me and make sure I wasn't in any trouble. I let him know I definitely appreciated it and that I brought my own mask, so when we got to my boat and I got my gear back, we could take care of that.
So far, everything's going great! Nice people truly concerned about safety instead of just filing the questionnaire and letting it go since I signed the release, a sandwich and lots of fresh fruit for breakfast, and a nice ride out to the reef!
When we got out to Saxon reef, we pulled along side the overnight boat, the Reef Encounter. The crew lowered the gangway, and we made the transfer to our overnight accommodations on the reef!
After a short briefing covering everything from safety to any flavorings or foods that any of us don't like so the chef could tailor the meals to each of our taste, we picked up our gear and were given our rooms. I got lucky and got a berth to myself instead of having to share a single with another single traveler. The rooms were nice - actually a little nicer than the ones on the Costa Mediterranean cruise that Chrissy and I took in the spring. All guest cabins are ocean view.
As you can see, it didn't take me long to change into my first bathing suit and plug in all of my battery chargers! For these two days, I had two underwater cameras, each with huge SD cards (one with a huge, high speed SD card) and each with at least 3 spare, long-lasting batteries. I had tested the action camera with its new SD card and batteries, and found I could get right around an hour and a half of recording at any one time. Since the schedule posted on the wall said the water sessions were around 45 minutes each, I was good. All I had to do was remind myself how to use it. I got it mounted on my mask and got fitted for some fins, and I was ready for the first water session!
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