Congratulate me -

I'm a licensed SCUBA diver! Here's how it happened: While I was in Brisbane I was investigating what to do next when a pamphlet for snorkling the Great Barrier Reef came across my radar. In short order I was ready to sign up for a 2-day snorkling adventure ... but then I let myself read the part about the open-water diving course and noticed the price was actually pretty reasonable. Hmmm ... Two days later I was on a plane from Brisbane to the City of Townsville (yes, really), then a ferry, then a bus to the hostel on Magnetic Island & their resident diving school! That was Sunday - and by Thursday evening I had certificate in hand!

Uh, so why am I still on Magnetic Island three days later? A: High winds. You see, technically, I can say I have dived the Great Barrier Reef 'cuz Magnetic Island is *on* the reef & two of the days of dive school involved diving right off the beach! But this is considered the "inner" reef, and in fact the water here is murky; visibility is a dozen feet on a good day - not the experience I wanted to take home. However, the good news is a local dive operation makes guided dive trips to the *outer* reef, the classic GBR - and stops right here on the island! So the plan is to join one of those expeditions, BUT - high winds over the east coast of Australia have been scuttling scheduled dive trips, keeping me on land.

Wheeler Reef.

But the good news: I finally got on a boat to a place called Wheeler Reef Sunday & got my dive in! Wasn't quite as idyllic as I'd imagined - visibility was still so-so due to the rough weather (which was also responsible for the rough 3-hour crossing that caused half the passengers to get seasick!) but I still saw *lots* of terrific corals and fish in two half-hour dives! And of course, if that's not good enough I can come back some day. Hmm, looks like there will be a solar eclipse near here in 2012 ... hmmm ...

- Rob

Sunshine State?

I wasn't in Brisbane (and its rowdy party hostel) for 24 hours before I concluded that Queensland was the moral equivalent of Florida, weather- and attitude-wise. Sunny days, balmy nights, palm trees & open-air bars & cafes ... Then I noticed the license plates, which read: "Queensland - Sunshine State."