Martin stopped the car in the Marina carpark, shifted to Park and pulled on the handbrake.
"Martin darling," his wife said, "why are we parked way over here in the sun, when there are spaces closer to the marina?"
"Stop griping," he joked, "the walk will do you good after that drive, besides, this spot will be in the shade by the time we get back to shore." He indicated the large tree he had parked under, as he opened the luggage compartment.
They had taken off early from Cairns. Martin rousting the two women and hurrying them along to the car, barely giving them time for coffee or tea before they left. It was a clear sunny morning and the ocean, in view to the right through the windows, sparkled in the morning light as the sun rose.
At his suggestion, the ladies had forgone the skimpy bikinis in favor of one-piece suits. Much easier when getting ready to dive, he'd said. Bring the bikinis as well, you might need them too.
Martin grabbed the bag of dive gear and slung it over his shoulder.
"So, what's in the bag, Martin?" Hayley asked, as they walked towards the marina.
"Fins for the three of us, dive masks, snorkels and stinger suits."
"Don't they have all that stuff on the boat? Hayley asked, "and... what's a stinger suit?"
"They do have gear like that on the boat," Susan answered, "but we find that sometimes the masks aren't good quality and they leak, same for the snorkels. As for the stinger suits, we need them as a precaution, they protect against the little poisonous jelly fish that we sometimes get out in the water. The ones they have will be old and stretched, ours are newer and form fitting. I bought a new one for this season so you can use mine from last season -- don't worry it's a great looking suit, you are going to look stunning in it."
Martin thought Susan played down the stinger risk, just the right amount, no doubt the crew would talk about it, so no sense in alarming Hayley before the cruise. Irukandji jellyfish are about as big as a fingernail, but they are among the most venomous jellyfish in the world. Stings can be fatal. Best to be covered while in the water, lower risk out on the reef, but Susan and he never swim without a suit.
As they walked onto the marina, Martin said, "why don't you two go organize coffee, I'll get us checked in with the dive boat and drop off our gear." He glanced at his watch, they had plenty of time before their departure.
Take away coffees in hand, they strolled towards the boat; Reef Runner was situated on one of the finger wharves and crew was ready to welcome them, as they joined the queue to board.
The crew waited for them, white shorts, blue polo shirts, blond, tanned, young, fit and smiling, showing ridiculously white teeth.
"How do they look so good, this early in the morning?" Hayley asked Susan.
"I know, right," Susan replied, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Shoes, sandals, thongs etc. all need to be left here," the young male crew member announced, "bare feet only on board, all shoes will be waiting here for you when we return."
Their names were checked off and they headed up the gangway to the boat. They chose to sit on the aft upper deck in the sun and snagged three seats together.
As they motored out of the marina, the crew delivered the obligatory safety demonstration, plus a brief explanation of the planned itinerary. They would go to two dive sites, on the outer reef today. One before lunch, the other after. Morning tea would be served on the lower aft deck on the way out. The seas were calm today, so minimal swell was expected.
~~~
Martin kicked his legs, his Marez fins pushing him swiftly to the surface. There he lay flat, face down, breathing easily through his snorkel. He observed the two women below, as they easily glided around the reef. Not for the first time, he was glad he'd made the decision to invest in good quality gear, Marez fins, Oceanic Shadow masks and Oceanpro snorkels. They made for a pleasant dive experience, there is nothing worse than a leaky mask, he thought.
Hayley and Susan finally headed back to the surface; they were wearing form fitting stinger suits, by Ningaloo swimwear. A Whale Shark print suit for Susan, dark blue with light blue stripes and white spots. Hayley was wearing Susans suit from last season. The Turquoise Bay print resembled shimmering waves in swirls of light blue and white, on a dark blue background. Hayley was a size or so bigger in the breast department than Susan, so the suit was even more form hugging. They both had caused more than a few heads to turn, as they pulled on and zipped up the suits, and not just from the male passengers and crew. The two were all smiles as they surfaced and spit out their snorkels.
"Did you see the size of that big green and red fish?" Hayley exclaimed, "It was huge! Looked like it had a parrot's beak."
"Yep, that could have been a Stoplight Parrotfish or a wrasse, they are the same family. Plus, there were lots of Angelfish, Clownfish, Blue Surgeonfish, and did you spot the Manta Ray lurking on the bottom?" Susan asked.
Hayley could hardly contain her excitement, "I did see it and a green turtle. Oh, this is great, thank you both so much for bringing me out here!"
Martin heard a voice and looked back at the boat. "Well, all good things have to come to an end I suppose, they are calling us back to the boat."
Reluctantly the three made their way, slowly back to the boat, Hayley hung back, watching the other two, well Martin in particular, she admired the strong, easy strokes he made, to propel himself through the water, the Ningaloo Tiger Shark patterned, stinger suit he wore, was as form fitting as Susan's, she noted. It left little to the imagination actually, and the pattern made him look like ... well, a Tiger Shark, as he swam along. She hadn't failed to notice the outline of his cock, in his speedos, as he changed into the suit. I'd just love to have that thing filling my mouth, she thought. But how to achieve that, with Susan's knowledge, and hopefully, blessing. A germ of an idea was starting to form, as she kicked to catch up with the others.
As they reached the boat, crew hands were there to take fins, as they slipped them off before climbing the boarding ladder. Hayley was last up the ladder. Martin observed that it did seem that there were more than enough willing hands available, to help her board the vessel. The crew provided a tub of fresh water, so they could wash their gear and not have it mixed up with the boats' gear.
Back in their seats, dressed in warm clothing, they sipped beers on the trip back to Port. The bar having opened, now all the diving was done.
Susan yawned, "I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted, I could do with a nanna nap."
'It's all this fresh air and sunshine, that does it," Martin remarked, "How do you feel Hayley?"
"Oh, I'm a bit tired, I've had such a fantastic day. I'm sure I'll perk up after a shower, back at the resort, what was the name of the resort again?"
"One of our favorite places in Port Douglas," Martin confirmed, "Villa San Michelle, it's like a Mediterranean Villa in the middle of town. I booked a suite with two bedrooms and a spa bath."
"You'll love it Hayley," said Susan, it's right in the middle of town close to restaurants and shops."
"Ooo, shops, maybe we could indulge in a bit of retail therapy later," Hayley suggested. A spa bath too, hmm, that could be interesting, she thought.
~~~
Martin sipped on his beer; he was in the habit of sampling the local brew, available in places he visited. Today's pick was Pitchfork Betty's Pale Ale, by Hemingway's. Brewed right here in Port Douglas on the wharf.
They were seated on the terrace of the Salsa Bar and Grill, having showered, changed for dinner and taken a leisurely stroll through the town. They were lucky to snag a table, as they had not thought to book ahead, but fortunately, Martin recognized an old riding buddy, who was working front of house. He managed to find them a table. "We always have a spare or two up our sleeves," he'd explained as he led them to their table, "especially for an old friend and two lovely ladies. Can't understand what they see in you though Marty. Hey, do you still have that old Norton? A Commando, wasn't it?"
'Sure do, still going strong, though it takes a bit to start these days, manual kick start and all." Martin confirmed.
"Okay, well here's your table," he held chairs out for the ladies leaving Martin to look after himself, "I'll get someone to bring you water and take your orders. Let's catch up for a ride soon Marty, okay?"
"Sure thing, Dylan, and thanks again."
Martin looked out over the harbor, the sun had set but there was still some twilight left. He took another swig of the beer, thought about the nice 220g black angus eye fillet, he had decided to order. Maybe with some bacon dusted potatoes... As he watched a small boat motored out of the harbor, its white running light and green starboard lights winking as it passed behind the forest of yacht masts. I wonder where they are off to, he thought, perhaps an evening of fishing...
"What do you think Martin?" Susan asked.
"About what?" he asked.
"About our order, where were you?" Susan asked.
"Sorry, I was a million miles away, what were you discussing?" He had tuned out of the discussion and hadn't listened to Hayley and Susan discussing their orders.
"Well, I can't decide between the linguini pepperoncino with Tiger prawns or the seafood curry,"
"I was thinking the same thing, I can't decide either." Hayley added.
"So, why don't you both order one of each and swap around halfway, that way you both get to sample both dishes."
"That's a great idea, thanks Martin. What are you having?" Hayley asked.
"The black angus eye fillet, for me, with a side of bacon dusted potatoes."
"Great, you'll have all the major food groups covered," said Susan sarcastically, "meat, potatoes and beer."
