13.8.15 - Airlie Beach | Whiteheaven Beach | Cairns

Sometimes I sin by speaking too soon. After all, paradise isn`t in Magnetic Islands, is in Whiteheaven! But we already go there, one point at a time.As I told you yesterday, today we sailboat for Whiteheaven Beach with boat exchanges and more exchanges. Ours was a blue, beautiful sailboat, but where was felt the weight of age.34 people on board plus crew, set sail at 8 am to a destination that, at 22 knots, was three hours away.The sea choppy brought excitement to taste the trip, with the waves hit the keel and lifting the boat, with this inclined to starboard, listening to various aiis and uiis.Me and João, Portuguese gem like we are, with the sea and the boats running since 14th century in the blood, which joined the beautiful Doriane - France, Strasbourg, whose boyfriend was on deck - we went to the bow and We felt the waves pass over us. Pure adrenaline.When the sea calmed down and came to land, looking out on deck, it seemed that we brought a group of refugees, such were the faces of fear and soaked that were seen under yellow tarpaulins.Coming to Tongue Bay, we walk 20 minutes through the woods to reach Whiteheaven Beach.Now that's heaven!A sandy expanse as thin as Snow White cakes, which helps to convey the clear blue water for kilometers and kilometers, forming bays and coves.We showered, took pictures of Zarathustra and to complete the idyllic setting or lacked a baby shark, with a 35 cm long, to come greet and swim among us - fortunately dads weren`t there!Then it was time for snorkeling and, once again, at the coral reef, we saw the parrotfish and butterfly fish swimming with all there will be live between the rocky and colorful.Time to return and with the sea floor, the sail was peaceful in the Pacific to see the whales in the background. A 1 km away, we could perfectly see the tail out and into the water.Arrived in Airlie Beach, it was time to go to Cairns. were just, sort of, 700 km of national highway.Remember the Pussy Wagon?The tiring journey, a petrol station, for a huge pick up, with dual wheels behind, large headlights LEDs as the world rallies, gray metallic, with a naked woman painted on the door and the announcement: "G-SPOT , Mechanical and  Enginnering ". This is where Tarantino was inspired, of course!

Arrived in Cairns was time to sleep four hours a sly aparthotel and now it's time to embark for Darwin.
Mick Dundee, here we go!

9.8.15 - Cairns

Last night we come to Cairns, a city on the Pacific coast, famous for being in front of the Great Barrier Reef.After we land and hire a giant Toyota, with an US rapper style - white pearl with metal flake finish, black glass and chrome to cover the front - we went straight to the apartment and then don`t go out.This morning, very early, we were all equipped and on board at Silver Crest, to go towards the barrier and meet one of the major objectives of the trip (for me the objective number 1): dive.So I prepared myself with CCD staff and already told that without you this trip wouldn`t have been the same. Thank you!Three scheduled dives and as Master Diver had a funny English with a fin with a sky-blue, half strange, and that swim back to us to make sure we were all together. By Master features, the similarities with others who know, the dives could only go well.Thus, short fact, with the Liquid Image in hand and the other hand holding the mask and regulator, jumped into the Pacific Ocean.Water at 23 ° C and a visibility of around 20 meters, for the three dives. The first dive, the deeper I went to 19 meters deep, soaking in a hot water tank: colerfull corals, butterfly fish, parrotfish that, despite its vibrant colors like a rainbow, have some teeth ready to pierce the coral and, I imagine, human flesh. I took my flashlight that normally use to go look for octopuses in the holes; when I feel cool on water i decided to use it, on the first hole that pointed, see the open mouth of a moraine and small eyes. Ai, dug out of there in no time.
Life lesson: do not seek what you don´t want find.
After a few seconds, the sound of the spheres of Jason, all looked to seeing him do a ridge with his hands on his head. A few meters ahead, above us, a gray fish with white back, mouth underneath the head with sharp teeth and a dorsal fin, that normally call shark. And he went to his life. After many minutes, came to us, quietly, a green turtle.Were 47 minutes of great fun, hadding as buddy my best friend. Better ?! Yes, there were still two other dives.
The second dive was in a different spot, I hit a depth of 12.8 meters; with those who go deeper but I do not walk like licking the bottom like those aquarium fish. This dive accompany the choir that formed tunnels and caves. We entered them, and three times we went out in paradisiacal places with water currents even hotter, just 4 or 5 meters deep, laying bare all imaginable colors. This dive as a species of fish, the caveat, parrotfish flathead, with more than 1 meter in length. Ana and Carmen saw a lion fish, but I had no such luck.
There were another 47 minutes diving at the Oceanarium, which gathered 44 of the third and final dive.
After lunch on board: pasta with sauce beans and chicken with shrimp and dessert, jumped last to the Pacific with the bottle behind his back.
Diving around several "mountains" of coral shells in seeing that it was a dwarf inside, a lost nudibranch in the sand - Sara and Sandra, this came for you! - Two consecutive events: looked left and saw a barracuda going in the opposite direction to ours; on the right, rare thing, a school of shaded batfish. Almost finished the dive, two harlequin fish and some fish-tiger-Titan. Finally, until it seemed that the Master knew where they were, clown fish, better known as Nemo.
How wonderful day!The return to Cairns, the boat was telling the adventures and seeing pictures and film each.
Life has great things!

Diving: a new world

Last year, when I went to the Cross Egypt Challenge, I loved (very much!) swimming in the Red Sea. It isn`t a "continent to visit" but it is a spot on the map, an emblematic location of great beauty that separates Africa from Asia. We had three steps ended on the beach and before the sun set, it was mandatory to put the feet in the sand.
A beautiful blue and quiet sea!
While there, the worst happened - if one can say it's bad! - was seeing Drew and other friends went on a boat to go diving  20 meters deep, and I stayed on the beach.
I can also remember other magnificent places for diving and I've only saw ... ships! Mozambique, Malta, Croatia, Brazil, Azores. There, the most I did was snorkeling.
So almost almost tripping to Australia and don´t be shark fins counting from the sand, from today, I`ll do a diving course.
Finally I can swim in the depths alongside the fish, s
ee the wild sea life and delight me in the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns.