The sun was sparkling off the Pacific Ocean and the salty air was crisp and cool on our skin as we cruised out to our first dive on the continental shelf of the Great Barrier Reef, just off the coast of Cairns. The water was promised to be warm and the marine life plentiful.

After suiting up we jumped in and begun to scuba around.

Unfortunately, the Matt curse hit us again. Animals just do not like Matt. The dive was quiet – there were fish, but it wasn’t the plethora of marine life that was promised. At the end of one dive Matt needed to surface, but I still had some air left to look around. As soon as Matt left the group (with the GoPro), leaving me with the dive master, a huge Napoleon Maori Wrasse turned up! He was so friendly, looking for hugs, pats and scritches. Matt was not impressed when I told him.

Overall, it was a little bit of a disappointment. The reef wasn’t vibrant, the fish were hiding and the water wasn’t very clear. It makes me a bit sad, because the condition of the reef is our own doing. That said, the dive company was really good, and I would recommend them to anyone who wants to check out the reef. Perhaps you’ll have better luck than us.