Explorations and New Adventures.

A gigantic hello from the Land Down Under!

Life has been treating me so exceptionally well lately. I really can't be happier. I haven't been working as much lately, but its left me more time for adventures!

We took a bus up to one of the local beaches a few days ago, Trinity Beach. It's maybe all of a mile long, but on the south end of the beach there are all these massive volcanic rocks... perfect to climb on!

Obviously if you give me rocks to climb on and rock pools to look in, obviously I'm going to start poking all the animals with sticks. Including this little guy! A little octopus in the rock pool (perhaps a ROCKtopus?)! 

Also, I've just had my first Australian birthday out here! For those of you reading this back home in the US, my birthday is today, but for me and my Aussie buddies, it was yesterday. And it was SUCH a good birthday. I worked during the day, a pretty average work day, all things considered, but the pub after work with all my Cairns friends was perfect. I've got such a great little family out here, from all over the world, but we've all wound up in this awesome city. 

Which brings me to some bittersweet news... I'll be leaving Cairns in a couple weeks to explore some new opportunities on the West Coast of Australia! I'm going to Exmouth, a pretty small town on a big beautiful reef with some big beautiful animals. Ningaloo Reef is one of the largest fringing reefs in the world. Fringing reefs are generally closer to shore than barrier reefs (like the good old GBR in Cairns). The Great Barrier Reef is at least 10-15 miles offshore, where Ningaloo Reef is accessible from the beach. Ningaloo is also an area where whalesharks, manta rays and humpback whales migrate through every winter (read: now). So, I'm heading out there in a couple weeks to get my dive instructors certification! This means I'll be eligible to teach diving after all this, which would open up a lot more working opportunities down the road. Also I'll get to play with whalesharks, which is only a major lifelong dream. :) It's an incredibly bittersweet moment though. I've met some of the most amazing people in Cairns and its a city that's really going to stay with me. I might come back after my little foray out west, but for now its off on a new adventure! 

Love and fishes! 

Fishy Photos...

Guess what I've got???

Pictures! Apparently I've been failing at the photography aspect of my life, so I finally took my camera out on the boat yesterday! Of course, as luck would have it, it was some of the worst conditions I've been out in on Compass. Super windy, rained all day, and terrible visibility. However, my camera is smarter than I am and makes it look like the viz was amazing, so thanks technology! 

I haven't been working a whole lot lately... we've only got one boat running, which automatically slows things down, but we've also had a string of terrible weather, keeping the boat from running for a couple days. Hopefully things will turn around and I get spend some more time on the water soon! But for now, some pictures! 

Giant clam! These guys are super cool... they're about a meter long. Actually heard a story from one of the other boats that goes out to a little sand island... a guy was walking on the reef (a HUGE no-no) and stepped inside a giant clam. Clam grabs onto his leg and holds on for the better part of 40 minutes with only the guys head and shoulders above the water. Yeah man, that's what happens when you try to destroy the reef... it fights back!! 

This is a Titan Triggerfish... they build little rock nests on the reef and if you get too close... they bite! Argh! 

The little yellow dudes in the picture are coral rabbitfish... they always travel in pairs because they mate for life! Or at least that's what I like to tell the tourists. They are almost always in a pair though, they're pretty damn cute. 

And this is the tiniest, babiest lionfish EVER. He could have sat in the palm of my hand, no problem. Cute little zebra lionfish...

And this is my boat! Well, one of them. The other one is still in pieces at the dry dock... but hopefully she'll be back in the water in a couple of weeks! 

Love and fishes!