I am gonna visit the beautiful Airlie beach next week.
Second day will be visiting the great barrier reef and scuba diving
Third day will be on camira sailing cruise to visit WhiteHeaven beach
Forth day will be skydiving.
I have never scuba diving or skydiving before, feeling so nervous.
I don't even know how to swim (I have been to swimming summer course when I was a teen)
Anyone would like to share their first experiences?
Hello, thanks for your comment. I am appreciated for this.
I have done some research, they said it's okay to scuba diving even you don't know how to swim.
Thanks, and I will try my best to remain calm.
I went to Morton island to snorkel with a lifejacket last year, a guy laughed at me to his daughter about me don't know how to swim lol
There's a lot of inconsiderate a$$holes in this world. Just ignore them and enjoy yourself. Sounds like a great holiday!
Thank you.
It's okay, he didn't really upset me. This is true, I can't swim. I am embarrassed as well. But I learnt, I tried, I just couldn't. I can only 'swim' for short distance, or sink to the bottom of the pool and swim for awhile. hahaha..
I hope you enjoy ur life as well :)
I am also a very weak swimmer, however I have done a few beach holidays overseas - never scuba dived though
A great tip would be, if you feel unsafe while swimming buy yourself one of those slimline Jet Ski life jackets would be great for swimming at the beach or snorkelling etc.. I have worn one in the middle of the ocean and just jumped in the water, or at a choppy beach and a good quality one will make you float at all costs.
Also being slimline you will not look like a an adult wearing kids floaties, for instance if you wear a rashy the same colour nobody would even know you are wearing a slim life jacket - then you can be at ease knowing if a wave or current just took you kilometres off land you will float and survive.
Not being scared = part of the fun
I wonder what inappropriate comment Noey left.
I am not too sure if the life jacket is for scuba diving?! since we have to 'sink' down.
I will make sure I will stay calm and not to scare the fish. haha
Tried snorkeling bfore, it is tiring, I have to wear a life jacket and hold the floating doughnut. The water just keep going into my mask :/
Skydiving you don't have to jump. You're just strapped to an expert who jumps and does everything for you.
So just relax and have fun! Enjoy the amazing views of the islands below.
It's probably more risky to be in a car than to do a tandem skydive.
Scuba diving will also be closely supervised. And you get to carry a massive amount of air on tap.
Little jealous of your trip, hope you have the best time though.
Thank you.
I heard the expect will kind of push (kick) us out of the helicopter. haha
Don't be jealous, enjoy your life and go travel!
Skydiving is on my 'must-do before 30' list.
I'm a scuba diver and besides the fact that region just had a cyclone go through you might be a little disappointed as cyclones destroy reefs.
in terms of the task itself.. maybe buy yourself a mask that will cover your nose and a snorkel and practice breathing through that because a lot of people get used to breathing through their nose too much. The important thing on the day is as Halo says - LONG DEEP BREATHS! control your breathing otherwise your 1 hour dive will turn into 30 mins. The rest will come as you go as you follow your instructor. He will look after technical side of descent and surfacing.
Here's an expect! thanks for your info.
I know I may be disappointed, but it's okay, I have never been there. My visa is gonna expire soon, so if not now, then when.. I may not come back to Aust again, as I am from HK, it is much cheaper for me to go to other countries in Asia.
Thanks for the tips, I will try, haha.
Scuba diving is fun, but it is a weird sensation breathing under water. The Scuba instructor will make sure you are kitted up properly. Listen carefully to all the instructions and try not to lose sight of other people in your group so you can orient yourself. Ask your instructor what you should do it you aren't comfortable with where you are at any time underwater. Scuba diving doesn't really have a lot to do with swimming, most of it is in the kick action of the legs. My two main issues were a) I tended to sink like a stone so I had to keep kicking to stop sinking to the bottom and b) walking into and out of the water is a tad taxing due to all the kit you are carrying. Have fun, sounds like a great trip.
Thanks for all the tips. Haha, I will keep kicking and kicking to prevent sinking to the bottom.
Isn't it better if you're nervous early or something … I know I'm usually "Oh yeah piece of cake" about hard things until 15 minutes before where I start having out of body experiences due to anxiety :p
It's good that you have strong self-esteem and always believe in yourself you cna do it. haha
Hmm..don't know how to swim? You're not from Australia then, I take it?
You are right, I am not Australian, not even a PR.
Righto..For whoever negged me…It wasn't a 'go' at the person. I was just asking a question out of curiosity because you'll find that most Australian children learn to swim from a young age and keep swimming cause it's apart of the Aussie life style (plus it's a thing in education)..The OP said they can't and they were going scuba diving…rolls eyes
IMO you'd probably want to be safe in water before you tried scuba diving from the safety aspect again, OP mentioned being nervous.
I didn't neg you, plus I am new here anyway, I am not looking for any sort of arguments.
I did some research, they said it's okay to go scuba diving even can't swim.
Just willing to try before I get old…
I think it would be good to check with both scuba and sky diving instructor, whether you have rested enough between scuba and sky dive. If your scuba session is long or multiple dives, you might need a gap between scuba and sky dive to avoid decompression sickness. Just to be safe than sorry.
https://www.quora.com/Why-shouldnt-you-scuba-dive-after-48-h…
Thank you for your concern. I checked before, they said we should NOT get onto a plane within 24 hours after scuba diving. For skydiving, NO alcohol 8 hours before.
why not go sky diving first - then scuba diving to be safe.
Hello, becuz I only stay 5D4N in Airlie beach, if my forth day day tour is scuba diving, which leads me not to be able to fly back home on my fifth day. (can't get onto the plane within 24hours after scuba diving).
If I put my skydiving on 2nd day, scuba diving on 3rd day, it may be too much in two days lol
If it's cold, just pee in your wetsuit and it'll warm you up
That's a weird tips, but thanks.. haha
With the scuba diving, is it a discover scuba dive ? Diving for beginners? If it's just a standard dive I actually wouldn't recommend it, especially if you can't swim. If you do a proper DSD they will teach you what you need to know, and if they do a session in a pool it's even better since you won't have to deal with waves or boats etc. Doing a full on dive off the back of a boat for your first time is going to be tough. A strict place might not even let you do it like that for your first time. Are you fit enough to carry 20kg on your back? If you can't you may struggle to get up the side of a boat to launch off (once in the water the BCD will help you stay afloat). Snorkeling is MUCH easier….
Hello, thanks for your information. The tour I booked Great Barrier Reef Adventures, and I paid extra for Learn to dive at the Great Barrier Reef.
It is an introductory dive, the following info is from the website.
There is no better place to experience the magic of your first scuba dive than at the outer Great Barrier Reef. Our fully certified PADI/SSI instructors will step you through all the training and escort you on your first amazing adventure. The minimum age is 12 for this activity.
Regarding the 20kg gear, I am not too sure, as I am not a big person. I am an ECE, I carried young children, they climbed onto me back sometimes. I am physically fit, but not physically strong I guess.
I tried snorkeling already, but I didn't have enough fun.
It's okay, I will come back and let you know if I am still alive. haha
Sky diving is an amazing experience. You will love it. Enjoy the freefall and adrenaline.
I also don't know how to swim but I have done scuba dive twice. Initially, I panicked a little bit with being underwater. But they will fully instruct you before you get in the water. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine. Breathe calmly and move your legs and the instructor will take care of the rest so that you have an amazing experience.
Are you sure if diving has re opened from Airlie? It definitely was not open few weeks ago because of all the cyclone effect from few months ago.
Hello, thanks for sharing your good experience!
I have booked the tours through agent, going by Whitsunday cruise company, so I am sure they are open.
I think my scuba diving exp, is more like a trail?! Cruise with scuba diving.
I will stay calm and be strong :D
Which boat or cruise you going with?
Hello, I choose the Cruise Whitsundays. 2nd day will be Great Barrier Reef Adventures; 3rd day will be the purple Camira Sailing Adventure.
@madagascar: Good stuff. Personally, I would have booked the 2 day / 2 night sailing trips which goes to some of the islands and also to Whitehaven beach. You get to stay on the boat for overnight accommodation.
@tendliya: I have thought about that. But what info I got online is: passenger can only shower for 1 min everyday. Which I couldn't … lol
Don't be nervous the Reef is awesome and you will love it. Scuba diving and parachuting are all done with experienced instructors and you will love both experiences.
I have been to some places overseas but my trip to the reef was the most memorable of anywhere.
Hello. Have you ever been to Sabah, Ko Samui or Phuket in Asia? I heard that they have beautiful beaches as well, awesome accommodation and of water sport exp for a lower price (comparing to aust). I have never been there (becuz I am single), those places are more likely for honeymoon LOL still, would like to visit one day.
I will stay calm as much as I can, don't wanna kick on those reefs :/
I've been to all of them - the beaches are good, but you can find better, It certainly isn't just for honeymooners, the vast majority of tourists are backpackers and families.
Great places to go for a first trip overseas as they are tourist-friendly with lots of English-speaking locals - but if you are more adventurous I would suggest seeking out places in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Thank you!! I am just back from Whitsunday, LOTS of FUN!!
Good on you for stepping outside your comfort zone to try something different. Relax and look forward to a bit of fun learning, and a bit of warmth compared to the southern states. The instructors will look after you. I'm jealous!
Thank you. Just wanna do something different before I reach 30. (I know, age is just a number.) I visited TAS in April, it was really freezing cold, like winter in Sydney LOL
You cannot qualify in Scuba unless you can swim and tread water to a reasonable standard.
A responsible Scuba company will not let you scuba if you cannot swim.
Really?! I searched online, ppl said it would be okay :/
You can definitely scuba even if you don't know swimming. It will be an introductory dive with an instructor
You will have a hoot!
Airlie Beach is a beautiful Place.
I have been snorkelling on TGBR and visited White Haven beach. You won't have time to get nervous.
You will be nervous above water on the boat but when you see how awesome the reef is I think you'll forget your nerves.
Have a blast mate!
Thank you. I hope so. I am actually more nervous about the skydiving than scuba diving… haha. As I have experiences in sailing, snorkelling and swimming in a pool, but not jumping off a helicopter. hahaha
Netflix not thrills
I have done Skydive and Scuba dive in Airlie beach a few years back. In my opinion Airlie beach is the best location to do Skydive as the views are amazing with all the shades of blue in the ocean. Scuba dive will also be great as they said it's clear at this time of the year (I was there last week, didn't dive though).
My only reservation is with Camira sailing. I did it last week and was a bit frustrated that we spent 2:30h to go and stopped in a not very nice part of Whitehaven and stayed for 1h there. Went to Hill Inlet lookout (best part) but was allowed to stay only 5min. I was expecting to go down to the beach on the most famous area (the one on all pictures) but went straight to the boat for another 3h back to Airlie beach. I would suggest you to call them in advance and try to arrange this visit to the main part of the beach as they promised Full Whitehaven experience on this tour.
I heard Bryon Bay is pretty as well :D But I don't think I will have a second sky dive.
I booked the Camira!! Too bad, Seems so rush. You mean I should change the Camira sailing to other cruise instead?
it's okay you don't know how to swim, because you are going to wear all the safety equipment that floats your body.
Also, if you are first time scuba diver, don't worry. lots of people are new to that and there is a person that can teach you.
Thank you. Hope I will be fine :D
Hello ALL!!!
I am back from Whitsunday, skydiving is quite relaxing, and intro scuba diving is easy for non-swimmer.
I had lots of fun!
I was the first one to jump out of the plane, I wasn't even panic!!! The view is amazing! I would like to do it again someday!
Skydiving is a piece of cake. At 14,000 feet you're often above clouds and can't see the ground below before you're pushed out of the plane. You will be going tandem I presume, essentially you're strapped in tight to a professional behind you that has done this so many times it's almost gotten boring for them. In the plane they will open the door and you'll stick your legs out of the plane, and the professional will heave you both out. Once you're in that plane, there is no going back!
The sensation of falling is fantastic until you reach your top speed (terminal velocity) at which you really feel like you're just floating. You can stretch your arms out and change your direction and move around a bit, it's pretty cool. Skydiving is a very safe and fun experience, I hope you really enjoy it!
On the scuba side - I'm amazed you're doing this if you can't swim. Just try to remain really calm, breathe normally and follow their instructions to the letter. If you don't feel calm - DON'T DO IT. There's nothing wrong with pulling out of something like that. You can snorkel with a lifejacket and still have fun.