SHARK!

I was, to be perfectly honest, completely freaking out. I couldn't quite put my finger on it really and as much as I made jokes about being gobbled up limb by limb I wasn't really finding it all that funny. The two and a half-hour boat trip out to the Neptune Islands gave my brain plenty of time to do some thought backflips and I jumped from being thrilled to scared to happy to anxious to wanting to vomit.

I managed to keep my breakfast down though, unlike most people on the boat. The long ride from Port Lincoln, on the Eyre Peninsula, to the islands is really choppy and when you're that nervous it's worse. Once the cage goes in and you're given the safety brief, that's when the gravity of what you're about to do really sinks in.

As I slowly climbed down into the cage, I realised my fear actually had nothing to do with the feared Great White Shark, rather it was the ocean itself I was afraid of. I never used to be scared, and when I was a teenager I would have been the first to get in that cage, but lately a switch has gone off in my head and I've been finding myself feeling frightened of things I never used to be afraid of, like heights and open water. Maybe it's just part of being a responsible adult, maybe it happens when you stop pushing yourself, I don't know. Yet hopping into that water brought me face to face with that fear.

The first dive I just had to focus on being in the water, using my regulator properly, and calmly breathing in and out. Eventually it got easier. However, after a while I had had enough and had to get out. We hadn't seen a shark yet. After a hot coffee and a breather I psyched myself up to get back in, but I told myself it would be the last time, and if I didn't see the shark, so be it. I stayed under for a good 45 minutes, until my face went blue, my ears hurt from the pressure and I had a heache. I was so determined to see that bloody shark! Eventually though, I had to get out. I was freezing!

Of course, as soon as the next group of divers got in the cage, the shark came, Stuff it, I thought, I'm getting back in! And it was so, so worth it.

These amazing creatures really command our respect. They are so calm and graceful; even though I was struggling with the dive they made me feel peaceful. They have such a gruesome reputation but to see them up close was just the most awe-inspiring experience. We saw two sharks a male and a female from what I could see, both about 4-5 metres long. The male even had a bunch of fish swimming along with him! He also had a few scars.

We were so grateful to be able to see the sharks in their natural surroundings, doing what they would normally do without us there. It was really important for us to be able to see them in the wild without upsetting them, as they deserve our respect. Adventure Bay Charters in Port Lincoln really looked after us and the sharks, and we couldn't have had a better day.

the lucky country

(slight language warning)

Today I was lucky enough to hear about the journey one of my clients had been on before he reached Australia. It’s disjointed, it has big holes where I didn’t pry to get further information, and I have no proof of any of it. I don’t care. I consider it a privilege that he told me.

Born to a Turkish father and an Iraqi mother, he was born in Iran but denied a birth certificate or passport in Iran because of his mother’s nationality.

At age 12, his parents passed away in an accident.

He travelled through Turkey to Malaysia, who sent him to Thailand, who sent him to Indonesia. He then ended up on a boat headed to Christmas Island.  It was a 12 day voyage but after seven days, all the food and water supplies were gone. People died on the boat, and many were ill.

When he arrived on Christmas Island, he repeatedly asked for water, but his request was denied until processing was finished. He then remained in detention for nearly three years.

He’s here now, working hard and studying to make a better life for himself. He’s friendly, funny and a little bit flirty too. Yet a lot of the time, the reaction he gets when he strikes up a conversation is “We speak English here, so fuck off until you can talk properly”.

So many things about this story break my heart.  I guess the main thing though is that after everything, this young man was bounced around from country to country like a pinball only to be held like a prisoner in a country that values freedom as highly as ours – and that doesn’t sit right with me. I also hate that we are lucky enough to have political stability, a bicameral parliament with representatives of all citizens sitting in it, and an unalienable right to vote, yet we have a bunch of clowns running our country who are incapable of doing anything about this issue.

I find it incredible how opposite the two of us are. He spent his whole life travelling, trying to find a home, while I continually leave my home in search of something greater. I hope I can continue to remember this next time I have my passport stamped (after all, I’m one of the lucky ones just to have a passport).

freakin' hippies

It’s time for a getaway a bit closer to home.

This afternoon I’m heading to the sunny Byron Bay with Boyfriend and four awesome girls who I didn’t even know six months ago, but who I’m growing to love.

It’s “Team Trip” time, where we pool the funds together for an office getaway where we can get to know each other, bond, hopefully have a few too many drinks and explore somewhere new.

I wasn’t sure about Byron at first. I don’t subscribe to the hippy lifestyle and, although I hate to be judgmental, all that came to mind at first was tie-dye, dreadlocks, vegan menus and stoners… oh and people who reek of patchouli. BUT I'm expecting this place to prove me very, very wrong and I can't wait to see what it has in store for me.

Apparently, Byron is in the caldera of an ancient volcano which of course excites me a lot and will not excite anyone else on this trip, guaranteed. No matter, I accept myself as the nerd that I am and will get my happy juices flowing by reading this while everyone else “smashes tins” on the plane.

And back to hippies.

I am all about rules, I think we need “The Man/The Establishment” and I don’t know how I feel about randomly hooking up with all sorts of people: I’m not really a “Free Love” subscriber because I think you need to work hard for that! But I will concede that  it’s nice to love one another and just be free from judgment and negativity and that’s what I really need this weekend. So Hooray For Byron!

…Somehow though, I don’t think a trip to Nimbin is on the cards!

“Peace Out”.