I was craving scuba diving, it’s one of my favourite things to do (some crave chocolate, I crave adventure and diving) and it dawned on me that it had been a few months since my last expedition into the underwater world. It turned out that a day trip out of Port Douglas to the Great Barrier Reef was just the type of adventure that could satisfy my craving. This was however a change to my initial plan which was to go to the reef from Cairns but the boat that I was booked on ended up having engine troubles and they transferred me to their other boat that departs from Port Douglas. This turned out to be a very positive change because I love the ocean road drive between Cairns and Port Douglas and I didn’t have to pay the transfer cost. Free tour!
The other positive is that I love Port Douglas, it’s only a small town but is scattered with cool little bars and restaurants and 4 mile beach is…………..long (and stunning). We were dropped off at Marina Mirage where the boat departs from and after walking around the marina and admiring some of the beautiful vessels I handed over my tourstogo.com voucher and stepped aboard Quicksilver’s impressive boat, Silver Sonic.
After we were all on board we made for the reef on their speedtastic and modern catamaran and within an hour and a half we were moored up on the reef and were getting ready to dive. I enjoyed the trip out there too, it gave me time to read up on the marine life I had missed so much and sort out my dive gear which needed some attention. I forgot to mention that I have been diving for a long time, have worked on dive boats and my family have worked on the Great Barrier Reef for years so I have some sort of weird obsession with diving on the GBR.
I did 2 dives at different dive locations and loved every minute of it. The sun really bought out the colours of the reef and having the option of diving at different dive sites is always a good thing as it mixes up the marine life and coral you see. As usual I made sure to take my time and search out the small wonders that are so often missed when divers rush. On the dives I saw a turtle, bull ray, shark and a lot of the weird and wonderful tropical fish you would expect to see on the Great Barrier Reef.
They served up a delicious lunch and the friendly banter and the smiling faces of the crew made me not only miss the lifestyle of working in the dive industry but also realise the amazing lifestyle that this part of the world has to offer people of all ages. After lunch I decided not to do the last dive but went for a snorkel instead. As much as I love diving, going snorkelling often gives a different perspective and you can see a whole new side of the reef.
Soon after I hesitantly got out of the water, the crew cleared the deck, unhooked us from the mooring and we were on our way back to Port Douglas. The only gripe I have with the dive industry in general is that it’s harder to find a day trip that will let certified divers go off in buddy pairs together as opposed to being part of a big dive group. I enjoyed the diving but I know that the majority of day dive companies take divers on guided dives and we’re not able to head off in buddy pairs. Very understandable from a safety perspective but how times have changed. All in all it was a beautiful day out and it’s nice to see that the reef is still in good shape.
After stepping off the boat and saying goodbye to the crew, I took my partly sunburnt (needed more sunscreen) yet fully appreciative and satisfied self and settled into the seat for my transfer back to Cairns. I will certainly be doing that again sometime soon!
Not many people would consider a bungy jump a hangover cure but it can act as just that or at least this is what myself and some friends noticed quite a few years back after a night out and is part of the reason I got hooked on Bungy Jumping at AJ Hackett Bungy in Cairns. I have done it more frequently without the hangover lately but either way you look at it the Adrenalin takes over your body, puts a massive smile on your face and makes you feel amazing and that can certainly beat a hangover for at least a little while.
Growing up in Cairns, the unofficial Adventure capital of Australia we have access to the first purpose built bungy tower in the world and it just so happens that it is situated in the lush tropical Rainforest about 20 minutes north of Cairns very close to where I live and rises up 50 meters above the rainforest canopy to look out over the beaches and Islands that stretch out to the Great Barrier Reef.
On this particular day a friend of mine Emma wanted to go bungy jumping as well and since she hadn’t experienced it before I thought she would be a great candidate. We drove out from Cairns and as we got closer she started asking the usual questions like ‘so how is the cord attached to your legs?’ and maybe a little more confronting ‘has anyone ever died Bungy Jumping here?’ and as usual with first timers I answer with a straight face ‘oh they just tie it around your legs and they’ve only lost a few’ at this point I notice her expression change slightly to one of concern but she is keen enough and knows me well enough to know I’m joking……………….or am I?
We arrive in the car park and she keeps up with the questions but somehow the excitement of it all is momentarily shut down but the fact that we have just started walking up a path into lush tropical rainforest with the sounds birds echoing through the trees and a goanna running off into the leaves after sunning itself on the path. The tranquillity doesn’t last long and the sounds of rainforest birds are soon overtaken by what sounds like faint screams of excitement and sounds that can only come out of a person literally pushed of the edge and then realising they are having the time of their life. These sounds we soon see are the people who have just had their turn either bungy jumping off the tower or swinging through the trees on the Minjin Jungle swing which is another one of the activities you can do at the AJ Hackett Bungy tower.
The look on Emma’s face says it all now and the questions are flowing thick and fast about how dangerous it is and what’s going to happen and I don’t answer them with glorious tales of fun but rather tales of doom and she laughs as if she knows I’m joking but with a look in her eyes as if to say ‘what if he’s serious?’ We are greeted at the entrance by a cool looking guy named Shaye and we have a chat about how it’s been lately in adventure paradise while Emma has a look around. We get to the desk to weigh in and choose our jump styles and Emma opens up with the questions again but this time to Shaye who just as I suspect he would answers them in the same fashion that I did, the most confronting way possible.
Aj Hackett Cairns actually have a jump list of 16 different jumps to choose from ranging from the classic swan dive to riding a BMX bike off the roof but you have to start with a simple one like the swan dive and then work your way up. You can even choose a water touch since as there is a big pond under the tower but no water touch for us today. Emma took the swan dive and I decided to run off the roof with a body harness since I’ve done a lot of the others and this one is my favourite. We both decided to get a video and photos and maybe in Emma’s head as ‘evidence’. I remember as they wrote our numbers on our hands how happy and excited Emma looked but I also know she was thinking ‘am I just another number to you?’
We watched one more person jump and then made our way to the top of the tower up the massive stair case. It’s a weird feeling because as you ascend the view that slowly appears above the rainforest gets more and more amazing but you know you are about to throw yourself of this almighty tower and you can see people doing just that as you walk up, so as nice as the view is, the rate at which your heart is pumping generally takes over. Emma again with the questions and looking quite excited at this point but still freaking out!
Emma is first and the jump crew get started tying her feet up to the bungy cord. I will at this point let you know that it is completely safe and calculated and the cords can take many more times their weight but this doesn’t stop you from questioning every aspect of it on your first time since you are going against a lot of things your body and mind would usually say to you when you are about to throw yourself off a 50m high tower. Over 500,000 have now jumped at AJ Hackett Cairns including the Red Hot Chilli Peppers so if all of them have gone before us we should be fine. Emma is now at the bungy crew with more questions, really excited but questioning if she can do it or not. With our support (not replies of fake failed jumps this time) Emma waddles with her feet together to the edge of the jumping platform, it’s time…………………….
It’s still time and she is having second thoughts but after a few count downs, 5, 4, 3, 2, wait, wait, wait I can’ts she finally just looks out to the horizon and as the count hits 1 falls forward and starts to drop into her own unknown adrenalin abyss . At this point she is screaming with fear but very soon all I can hear is screams of joy and laughter as she bounces with the cord and feels the amazing rush that has made so many people try bungy jumping. With a massive smile on her face and after bouncing around the crew safely lower her onto the boat on the pond at the bottom and unhook her from the cord……………. now it’s my turn.
No matter how many times I bungy jump I still get that feeling of butterflies in my stomach that are flying around in there more like tiny fighter jets, I can even feel them now as I write this just thinking about it but I know that is just the start and it is the feeling to come that is what I come back for. Ben (the jump master) hands me the harness and I put it on and he checks over it to make sure is all good, clips me into a safety cord and then tells me to climb the ladder to the roof, the butterflies are going crazy at this point and I’m so excited. Once up there I’m attached to the bungy cord, climb up onto the ramp and told to wave at the camera and then holding an oversized rubber band in my right hand I run and leap out towards to horizon………………………..I can never prepare for this point because how do I? Everything is going haywire in my mind and body so my yelling is a mix between excitement and fear but in the back of my mind I know it’ll be fine so I wait for that bounce. Apart from the actual jump my favourite part is the bounce back up so I make the most of that and then just relax and reassure my mind and body that it got all worked up for nothing, we’re safe now. I’m lowered into the boat, unhooked and that’s another bungy jump done, but it was just as good if not better than the one before and it certainly won’t be the last.
If you decide to go Bungy Jumping it’s worth doing a couple while you are there and they have packages for multiple jumps and minjin swings etc. You can check out the prices and details at the tourstogo.com AJ Hackett Cairns bungy listing. Have a great time and let me know if you go!
The travel bugs blog 