A Night Between the Stars and the Continental Shelf

Our second reef was in the Outer Reef, just before the Continental Shelf.  Soon after arrival, we had our next water session.  I went through my my previous routine, and when Chantal arrived to escort me, I was ready to go.  I even managed to get the action camera to record for about 7 seconds.  Apparently, I got it turned on, then when I intended to turn it on, I actually turned it off.  Still it was progress!  We anchored in front of the Playgrounds and beside Shark Mountain.  Once again, the the reef was beautiful in the late afternoon light!

Unfortunately, we also saw evidence of coral bleaching.

When the afternoon session was over, I took some pictures of the other overnighters in the area while drying enough to not drip, then went in to shower before dinner.  While I was brushing my hair, I looked out the window and noticed that there was a beautiful sunset that was needing to be photographed, so I went back outside to take some above water shots.

Dinner was a delicious plate of barramundi, or Asian sea bass, which is considered a "must have" when in Queensland.

After dinner, the divers took their night dive.  Snorkelers didn't get in the water because it is far to easy for the sharks to mistake swimmers on the top for food after dark.  While the three types of shark we were swimming with (white and black tipped reef sharks and the Queensland gray shark) are not aggressive, they do get hungry sometimes!  I went back over to the side of the boat where some of the fish were gathering, in part because the kitchen staff was disposing of scraps, to watch the fish.  There were lights on the boat, so we could see down into the water.  Pictures weren't quite so easy, though.  You may have to look closely, but along with the sharks, there was a giant Queensland grouper swimming around.  I counted 4 remora stuck to him and several others swimming around him.  I did my best getting a picture of him.

I was so tired, I slept like a rock that night with the gentle sway of the boat rocking me back and forth.  Six o'clock did come early, but I wasn't about the miss that first water session of the day before breakfast!  This time, Mickie escorted me.  A couple of other folks tagged along with us.  The reef was, once again, beautiful in the early morning!

As we came to a shelf on Shark Mountain, the underwater photographer came our way.  I definitely wanted a picture of me in the Great Barrier Reef!  I had spent enough time in the water and in my mask by now, that I wasn't panicking so much, though I still hadn't released my death grip on the savior ring - until now.  I gritted my teeth, and made my way under my own power close to the place where she directed me.  If I had made it where she actually wanted me, I'm sure the reef would have been more colorful, but try as I might, I just couldn't get there, and I was running out of breath - from exertion this time, not from panic.  Obviously, I didn't have my inhaler with me, so she took the picture where she could get it.  Can you tell how happy I am?

After this, I had to get back to the boat and hit my inhaler.  I was having real difficulty getting air in, even with my mask off.  So, I laid my torso on top of the savior ring, and left my mask off, carrying it and kicking as much as I could while Mickie towed me back to the boat against the current.

A couple of puffs of Albuterol, and I was ready for the breakfast buffet and the trip to the next reef.  Amazingly, the action camera worked great.  It recorded through the whole time in the water.  Unfortunately, it was recording mostly the sky.  Now that I got it working, it's time to better aim it!