Nemo has been FOUND!

Cairns, Australia

This has to be quick, but had to tell you this! Yesterday M,L,K, and I went out to the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef! We did two snorkels at two different sites, and then SCUBA DIVED!!!!!! And I didn't even get swept out to see and lost forever! It was just amazing. There is a whole other world down there - the coral was so beautiful, and we saw just scads and scads of fish or every color. Amazing. and..... we saw Nemo! and his dad! and cousins!! Hiding in the purple anenome, just like the movie...

AND we all did an intro dive. Lisa and I were SO scared! M&L went in first with the instructor. K and I were all suited up in our suits masks and tanks, waiting ont he boat. I was so scared that my arms and legs went completely numb, and I had to try so hard not to cry! (Cough cough Pansy! cough)... I'm a bit claustrophobic, plus I have always had a bit of a thing about getting swept out to sea and never seen again... so put that altogether and whattaya got? Scuba diving! :-) Well, anyways, almost as soon as I jumped in I was fine. It was just amazing. So peaceful. I looked back at the others (I was sticking RIGHT BESIDE the instructor so that he could save my life FIRST) and they looked so cool - like they were space walking in slow motion. We went down ten metres and saw coral that blew our minds. Every color, and beautiful fish, AND A SHARK!!!!!! A friendly whitetip swam past us as Kent and I were doing our skills for the instructor. Apparently he went right up behind M&L as they watched in - horror? fascination? in hope that I smelled like bacon so that they'd have time to swim for their lives? :-)

Anyways, it was mindblowingly cool for all 4 of us. We then finished the day with a bottle of champagne as we took a sunset cruise down the coast back to Cairns. Spectacular day!!!