First day aboard the Nimrod, a floating hotel-du-scuba. With a packed day of 5 dives, meals in between, and obligatory napping its a wonder i can still think. The first day took us to ribbon reef #9. These ribbon-like reefs fringe the eastern and northern ends of the GBR. The reef is spectacular and the viz good. I dove with only my skin ( a thin, non-thermal layer) for jelly protection. The water temp is 83F, which is almost bath water temp.

The dive deck is quite spacious, and with only 16 passangers, youd think the boat was half empty. She's actually 2 short of full capacity.

This evening, post dinner, we will steam out to Osprey Reef. This is a 10 hour ride as it takes us 100 nautical miles out to sea. This location is too far for any day boat, so only liveaboards like this one go out there. The viz promises to be grand, as do the marine life. There we can expect shark, manta rays and all manner of larger life.