Great Barrier Reef Liveaboard Experience | M.V. Kangaroo Explorer

This is one of the highlights of our trip -- The  liveaboard experience on the Great Barrier Reef onboard MV Kangaroo Explorer. The company, Cairns Dive Centre (CDC) is an International 5 star training facility and has been in operation in its current state for over 10 years. The team at Cairns Dive Centre can help you with any aspect of your diving. For us, we only plan to do snorkeling and intro dives.

Deluxe service by CDC

I've tried numerous intro dives before but still haven't got the courage to undergo training for acquiring an open water license. It might be because I don't know how to swim. I'm not afraid of the water as I can dive but my main problem is floating. I can't float without a life vest.

Cairns Dive Center Shop/ Office

Briefing and Waivers

As we were picked up from our hotel to the Cairns Dive Center shop, we underwent a quick briefing and signed some waiver forms. They were all friendly and accommodating. Also, they sell various diving/ snorkeling equipments, including masks with grades, wetsuits, and other related stuff.

First Briefing - Onboard the Transfer Boat

A few minute drive to the docks, we went onboard MV Sunkist -- a fast modern transfer boat for 90 minute transfer to Outer Barrier Reef. Here, we underwent another set of briefing. They're just making sure that everyone got it because there are no room for mistakes when dealing with open waters as not all of us were licensed divers.

Transferring from the MV Sunkist to the MV Kangaroo Explorer

Upon reaching MV Kangaroo Explorer, the Catamaran we will stay overnight on, we were given a quick tour of the entire vessel and underwent another set of briefing. It was cool as we learn a new thing or two every time they do briefings. (Check out some of the photos we took in and out of the MV Kangaroo Explorer)

Diving Platform?

Scuba Gears

Lounge Area

Sundeck (Left)

Sundeck (Right)

Mr. Simon's Office - Video guy onboard

Our room (2pax)

Buffet area

It was a bit drizzling that time when we went on board the catamaran. Waves were manageable and coming from land, we weren't very seasick then. After the briefing and a quick unpacking of our things in the room, lunch was waiting for us.

Plates above the buffet area

They have a cool buffet system in place. Above the buffet area are plates. The number of plates indicates the number of people onboard. Although this is a buffet, you must be conscious of getting seconds if someone else hasn't eaten yet. Of course, if you are really hungry, there's no stopping you and you are allowed to do so. This is to minimize the waste created (excess food etc) and to also reduce the resources used to prepare the food because when the boat runs out of fresh water, we need to go back to land. (BUT, let me warn you that eating a lot onboard is not recommended. Read on...)

Yummy food!

The food served was good. I didn't go for seconds because I got a lot already. It was siesta time after lunch and the vessel was venturing out to the outer reefs. We underwent another short briefing regarding our next reef stop. They told us what we can expect to see there and where the route is. After that, they suited us up. Even though we have our own swimming gears, we borrowed their stinger suits and fins. It's provided free of charge. You can even borrow snorkeling masks with grades for a very small fee.

A Stinger Suit provides protection from venomous stinging marine jellyfish.

The first one hit with seasickness was my fiance. She decided to stay and not do the first snorkeling stop and rest onboard. There were 2 stops on our first day. Before going down the water and leaving the vessel, you'll need to sign on a paper indicating that you went down the vessel -- more like an attendance sheet. You cannot sign for others (duh) and you must sign when leaving and boarding the boat. As we went down for our first snorkeling expedition, the water was not as calm as I would have expected it to be. You can feel soft waves that will make you go up and down. (Photos of our snorkeling trip will be posted in a separate post tomorrow)

I've done snorkeling in different parts of the world already and Great Barrier Reef is one of the best places to snorkel. They have a rich collection of live and colorful corals and fishes that will make you say "wow" a thousand times.

After all of us boarded the vessel MV Kangaroo Explorer, off we went to another part of the reef. It was lucky of us that onboard the vessel, there was less than ten tourists/divers/customers. Time management was a breeze as it was like we had the entire boat on our own! The capacity of the vessel is around 30 to 40 pax.

Meet my friend, "Bowly"

On the way to the next reef, this is where I was hit with seasickness. I've gone cruising several times already and this is the first time I felt seasick. The water was wild while seated on the dining area, looking through the window upfront, you can see the sea a second and another second gone. It was that wavy. I started taking seasick tablets (too late!) and this is the part where I became friends with the toilet bowl. (I was thinking that the Japan quake made the waters wild worldwide because we had this activity a few days after the huge Japan 2011 quake).

My tired friends - a different part of the day

It was only around 4 to 5pm that time and I lost all my energy already. It was the first time I missed land badly. I felt so bad that I wanted to drain our fresh water supply so we could go back to land. Yes, I was feeling that bad and no, of course I didn't have the heart to do such a mean and selfish thing.

Pizza - Yummy but w/out appetite

Took a shower, had a bite of pizza for dinner and called it a night, very early. I did this so I can recover and dive the next day. The cabin was really cold and there's no way to adjust the air conditioning system. The bed space isn't like a normal cruise cabin and the bed was small. It was similar to the train I rode in China where there were triple decker beds. *Lights off*

Mr. Glenn, our dive master

The next morning, we woke up early as we had a 6am briefing with our dive master. I already knew majority of what the guy was talking about from the briefing because of my previous intro dives but again, I learned a lot of new information and diving skills from Glenn, our dive master. After the briefing, I had a light breakfast (Learned my lesson already, not to eat a lot while on sea) and prepared for our 8am dive. A video guy dove with is and filmed our Great Barrier Reef diving experience. (Video to follow)

We dove twice that day and it was amazing to see all kinds of colorful fishes and huge coral walls! I was hoping to see some sharks but we didn't. Consider it lucky or otherwise. The second dive was hard though. I wore the wrong set of fins, which made my kicking hard and ended up bruising my ankles while still underwater. With that said, I consumed my oxygen faster than recommended which made me have a headache I never experienced before. It was so bad that I was on the verge of panicking because my throat was so dry, my head was aching badly and I can't kick well already -- and we were down below 20 or 30 feet down the water.

After suffering from the seasickness, headaches and bruises, I can say that I still enjoyed my liveaboard experience and will definitely do it again the next time I visit the Great Barrier Reef. There's nothing like experiencing the Great Barrier Reef overnight, rocking you to sleep from left to right and upon waking up, jumping into the water like it's your home.

Lesson learned:
Don't eat a lot when at sea.
Use the right set of equipments/ test before diving.
When underwater, don't be conscious about your breathing. Relax.
Feeling dizzy? Jump in the water. You'll feel less dizzy there.
Temperatures will be naturally lower when at sea. Bring jacket so you won't feel cold at night.
Anti-seasick tablets should be taken 2 or 3 hours before. Not when you're already feeling dizzy. (Stubborn me, my bad.)
A small vessel won't act like a big vessel. I don't feel seasick at all when going on cruises. A smaller vessel will naturally rock harder!
Wear bright colored swim suits. At sea, dark clothes blend with the ocean and it'll be harder to see you. This is why life vests are usually neon colored.
A stinger suit is your ally against jellyfish stings, the sun and the low sea temperature.

I hope you learned a thing or two from our Great Barrier Reef experience! On my next post, you'll see the actual photos me and my friends took in and out of the Great Barrier Reef!

Thanks to the friendly staff and professionalism of the guys over at Cairns Dive Center. They are really recommended with satisfaction guaranteed!

Saying hi to our new found friends Kia and Hamish and regards to Glenn (Dive Master) and Simon (Video guy)!

Official Website and contact information:
http://www.cairnsdive.com.au

Phone	(07) 4051 0294 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (07) 4051 0294      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax	(07) 4051 7531
Toll Free	1800 642 591 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1800 642 591      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (within Australia)
Email	info@cairnsdive.com.au
Web	www.cairnsdive.com.au
International
Phone	+61 7 4051 0294 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              +61 7 4051 0294      end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax	+61 7 4051 7531
Postal Address	PO Box 2401 Cairns, Queensland Australia 4870
Street Address	121 Abbott St Cairns, Queensland Australia 4870

Cheftonio
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