P. Sherman
42 Wallaby Bay,
Sydney, NSW
If you grew up (or are growing up) a Disney lover, you will definitely recognise the address above. It is the address Dory repeats after finding it in the divers’ goggles. Since I saw that movie I knew two things: I wanted to go to Australia to study and to discover the wonderful paradise underwater with my classmates!
And so I did! I first took the longest flight ever to the land of OZ – full of energy, keen to learn English quickly and ready to take as many photos as my camera would tolerate (that still hasn’t changed).
You can fly to Cairns from every city in Australia, which is the gateway of the Great Barrier Reef. It takes you around 30 minutes to reach the reef from the marina, which is awesome, and there are a few companies that take you to my particular paradise under water.
I did it in March when it’s not as hot as in the summer (which is very very very hot!). Even with the weather not in my favour, I truly enjoyed it. It was windy, overcast and the surf was a bit rough. But I tell you what: when you leave your home, your family and friends behind, it has to be worth the effort, and I wasn’t willing to let a few clouds and a breeze stop me from making this dream come true!
I used the briefing on our way to the reef as a listening practice for my lessons in the coming weeks and with (being an optimist) 60% of the instructions understood, I put my diving gear on, and jumped in the water like Nemo´s father does try to find his awesome son.
And it was there, after a few meters diving against the current, when I did confirm that paradise underwater is a reality in Australia. I got distracted following a turtle. It wasn´t the one from Nemo´s movie, or at least it didn’t know what I was talking about when I asked her! 😉 Then I saw magnificent coral reefs and, after a few minutes, Maria (a nice classmate of mine) found Nemo!!!!!!! We were really excited about it, and although in the picture her eyes don’t look great because she had some trouble with her goggles, she was full of joy!
Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
And yes, so was I. What an unforgettable adventure living Australia is.
