Reef meet the Hud
July 11, 2005Machans Beach, Qld, Australia
7:47am.
I am skipping a day. Well, not really. We went to Cairns CBD (central business district duh) on Saturday to post and let Hud play in the big pool. Pert areolas aside, it was pretty uninteresting. I will go on the record and say that I bought the worst lunch ever. It was a takeaway (take out duh) restaurant displaying their wares in a glass-heated cage. All sorts of deep fried goodies to sucker beauhunks like me into purchase. I bought a chicken broccoli cheese puck, a Dagwood dog (a pogo duh), a spring roll and some chips (fries duh). Thinking I had done good (accomplished buying lunch duh), I walked back to the playground where Steph sat, hungry, waiting to see what delicious bounty I had found.
First bite…the Pogo…well the pink dye from the hotdog had bled into the weak batter…so it looked and kind of felt like the hotdog was bleeding into your mouth as you ate it. Next bite…the chicken puck…like a big nugget with a centre full of gooey old broccoli, and you know how well broccoli ages. Next up? The spring roll. One bite for Steph…look of utter disgust….one bite from Jason….spat back into the bag. It was like deep fried cabbage that had been in a blender. It poured out like a milkshake. Last but not least. The fries. They were soggy. And I think about three weeks old. A complete ten dollar wash.
So after I ate it all I was really mad. Only joking. Just kidding. Although I gave the pogo one more bite and paid for it later. It sat in my stomach like a fat man waiting for a bus. And then the bus came. It was an express bus. You know what I mean.
So that was the highlight of Saturday. Not really a highlight, but something to at least talk about. We did have a nice pork dinner with vegetables and couscous. I finished To Kill a Mockingbird and loved it. It was rich and real and startling. It haunts me sitting here.
I slept with Hud on Saturday as the Mossie Princess has put the mosquito net around our bed and I can’t sleep surrounded by hanging gauze. It makes me feel like I’ve been bitten by a vampire and the sickle wielding mob are waiting for my own metamorphosis. So the sleep was restless, as the stinker kept putting his jasonesque feet into my face. I was also anxious for yesterday to begin. So at 6:15 I woke Steph up and flicked on Hud’s light.
It was Great Barrier Reef day, and I was excited.
Fast forward past the packing, the parking, the check in and now on the 80ft catamaran, filling out our disclaimer forms. There were tea and chocolate muffins to sate our stomachs as each member of the crew introduced themselves very loudly, with very over-exaggerated hand gestures and mannerisms. One German crewmember, the scuba instructor, was either a little effeminate or a lot gay, and his face bounced around like a superball. He acted like an aerobics instructor, with a permanent smile and eyes like a ventriliquist dummy. I wish his name was Hans or something equally stereotypical, but it was like Steve or Todd or something like that. But it sure was fun just watching him talk with his limp hands and his cheery voice.
The boat held eighty passengers and six crew, and we were maxed out. What started out as a beautiful day was now overcast with wind upwards around 20 knots. We were off, to the outer parts of the reef, over two hours away. Eighty people on an eighty foot boat is right at the point where it seems crowded, but not claustrophobic. I immediately checked out the bathroom situation under the ruse of being a concerned parent of a newly toilet trained boy. There were two of them and they were fine. I could now relax and unclench. We sat on the bow, huddled on the net between the pontoons, a little chilly with the foul weather. Around 10:15 the crew began bustling about, getting ready to moor near our reef for the day. We signed up for the glass bottom boat tour to at least give Hud the opportunity to see the fish and the reef. I was convinced that he would not take part in snorkeling and even bet Steph $2 to the effect.
We moored the big boat and boarded the 15 ft glass bottom boat. Now at 20 knots, the waves were rolling in quite nicely thank you and we had to keep a firm grip on the Hud to keep him from flying overboard. Troy, the first mate of the big boat, gave us a thirty minute tour of our particular reef, explaining the different types of hard and soft coral and the over 8,000 different types of fish that call the reef home. Hud was pretty interested, seeing an actual Nemo and a giant clam, amongst all the other marine entities. So back to the big boat now and we pose the question to Hud. Do you want to go in and see the fish yourself? Yes, he nodded and we jumped all over it. We got fins and a mask and snorkel and even a little wetsuit to ensure warmth. We decked out as well and went down the ladder onto the platform. The idea was to put Hud on top of a red ring buoy and let him dip his head in at his leisure. Any moment now I was sure he would not want to go. There were white crests on three-foot swells bouncing everyone around the reef. It was not the serene, placid water I had pictured in my head. So Steph jumped in first and there was my little Jacque Cousteau, looking about thirteen years old, standing on the platform. If he was scared I could not see it through his mask or hear him through the snorkel, so I picked him up and placed him in Steph’s waiting arms. Still no freak out so I quickly jumped in. We placed him on the life preserver and we were off. Steph doing most of the pushing as our fins kept hitting each other.
Well I have never been happier losing a bet in my life. And never prouder as a parent, as this little boy, not even three years of age, stuck his face underwater, breathed through the snorkel and saw fish and coral on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. It was amazing. He was amazing. And he lasted about 15 minutes before a couple of big waves crashed into us and he was done. His muffled panic and wild eyes told us so. Steph took him back and I continued my own snorkel adventure. It was pretty amazing. A different world of fluorescent creatures and wild coral. I went back after a while and Steph jumped in. I hugged Hud so hard and he was shy in receiving my praise. This tells me that somewhere in his little brain and body, he was beaming in self-pride as well. He knew he conquered a fear. He knew that we somewhere very new and different and may possibly not happen again soon. Carpe Diem he thought. All right maybe not, but if you could see his little face telling me that there were no sharks in there dad, you would agree that something clicked inside him that moment. And while I know there are more important things in life than overcoming fear and seizing moments, at this moment I wanted to hold Hud up in the air and make the rest of the passengers bask in his brilliant glory. What a boy!!
After the snorkeling and lunch we ventured to another spot on the reef. Hud refused the opportunity this time, seizing one moment a day it would seem. So I kissed his head for the thousandth time and jumped in, going first. This portion of the reef was different, mostly sand, with spots of coral leading up to a sand island. I puttered about, trying to get to the island, but petered out, wanting to leave enough time for Steph. I did see about 15 Parrotfish picking and poking at a piece of coral. Parrotfish are about 18 inches long and very colourful. Like they were dipped in five different buckets of fluorescent paint. Very cool.
Steph was next and she saw a sea turtle and a stingray, and being a much better swimmer, she made it to the island. She said it was ok, but it would have been better if we were there together. I thank her for that.
Hud and I were waiting on the bow in the mesh net, basking in the now perfect sun that joined us halfway through the first swim. The boat started moving and we were on our way back home. As a lark, the captain sped up a little and we hit some waves that soaked the three of us through the mesh. Us and others but the captain was gunning for us, as we were looking so cozy and comfortable. So we changed clothes and sat underneath until Steph needed some fresh air and Hud needed to nap. We sat on the starboard side, Hud now asleep, Steph suffering the non-stop rocking. I sat on the floor and almost fell asleep watching the sun. We arrived safely back in port and exited the boat, shaking the crews’ hands, German dude being last and most animated.
So that was that.
We have been to and snorkeled The Great Barrier Reef.
All of us.
Love to all,
J
posted by Jason @ 2:45 AM
<< Home