July 6, 2006

Downunder Dive & Palm Cove

Palm Cove

Well for the first week in Cairns, as per my itinerary, I was meant to be doing a 4 day dive course. This started out well, I passed all the medical tests and theory stuff in the morning. However, one thing I wasn't expecting was a swimming test—250meters without stopping and then threading water for 10 minutes straight after. Now, swimming isn't exactly my thing and the last time I did any actual swimming was when I was like 10 years old!

We had to swim 10 lengths of the pool. I managed to blag my way through this part, as there were people worse than me that keep the instructor's attention occupied. Everyone else was finished and waiting when I was heading back from my 6th length, but the instructors just figured it was my 10th and I didn't correct them ;) However, after that I was completely shattered and started to do my best drowning impersonation about half way through the treading water test, lol!

To cut a long story short, the diving course was off the cards and I was down $122—the doctor's time and theory books [which you write in] aren't refundable. From this point on the itinerary went completely out the window... and on my todo list for when I get home is to enrol in swimming lessons!

Area Map

Cairns itself is surrounded by mangroves and mud. There is a swimming pool thing at the Esplanade but it's pretty rice. So if you want to go an actual beach, you need to dive or catch the bus up to one the northern beaches. On my sister's advice, and having a sister that is a tour guide comes in quite handy, I headed up to Palm Cove.

The beach at Palm Cove is really nice. It was a bit windy the day I was there, but the weather was good—clear skies and warm. One thing I have noticed over here is while in New Zealand you can pay by EFTPOS or Visa everywhere, even at small dairies in the middle of nowhere, that's not the case here. The place I went for lunch didn't take cards at all!

Posted by Matt at July 6, 2006 7:51 PM

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