Memorable moments: The voice of the reef

In 2005, I traveled to Dahab in Egypt to complete a scuba diving course in the Red Sea. It was an extraordinary environment, but the true highlight arrived on the second day of our training when our group descended to a depth of twenty metres.

The coral reef was absolutely spectacular—a true wonderland of vibrant color and marine life. As we glided through the water, I was overcome by a profound sense of wonder and peace. I felt entirely present, experiencing a transcendent, spiritual moment of feeling completely at one with everything around me.

When I practice meditation at home, I often use a soft, humming "om" to anchor myself firmly in the present moment. Wrapped in the silence of the deep sea and filled with a sudden desire to express that connection, I let out a gentle, low "om" into my regulator as we swam alongside the reef.

After thirty minutes of exploring, our group finally ascended and exited the water. The moment we pulled off our masks, one of the girls from our group turned to the rest of us with wide, amazed eyes.

"My God," she gasped, "did you hear the coral humming?! I've never heard anything like it in my life!!"

I froze, caught in a wave of sudden embarrassment, and decided it was best to say absolutely nothing. To this very day, she is likely out there somewhere in the world, completely convinced that the coral reefs of the Red Sea sing a beautiful, spiritual song to those who dive deep enough to listen.

Memorable moments: The Dingle anchor

In 1997, Ally and I spent two wonderful weeks exploring Ireland by car. We fell completely in love with the pub culture—the live music, the rich Irish stew, and of course, Irish coffee, which I’m convinced contains all four essential food groups: fat, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine. But most of all, I loved the Guinness.

One evening, we wandered into a cozy little pub in the town of Dingle. I stepped up to the bar and ordered a pint of the black stuff. While the bartender was performing the legendary, slow Irish pour to let the head settle, I decided to quickly slip away to the loo.

When I came back out, I immediately spotted a beautiful, freshly poured pint of Guinness sitting right there on the counter. Perfect timing, I thought. I reached out, wrapped my hand around the glass, and went to lift it to my lips.

It didn't move. It was stuck fast to the bar.

Confused, I gripped it a little tighter and gave it a proper tug. Still, it refused to budge. By this time, a few of the local patrons had noticed my silent wrestling match with the glassware and burst out laughing.

It turns out I was trying to drink a plastic marketing promotion that had been permanently glued to the counter. My actual, liquid pint was waiting for me completely untouched on a different section of the bar. It was highly embarrassing, but at least I provided the Dingle locals with some free entertainment to go with their evening drinks.

Table tennis and Wendy's Secret Garden with Chris and Rory

A super fun game of table tennis where I reigned as the champion after some very close matches.  We then strolled to Wendy's Secret Garden via Luna Park. Chris and I then had a delicious salad for lunch at a local restaurant.

Fun at Luna Park in their distorting mirrors.

Manly Scenic Walk with Chris and Rory

Chris's lovely nephew is in town so we decided to show him some of the best harbour scenery in Sydney. I never grow tired of this fabulous 10 km walk.

Watson's bay with Shushann

It was wonderful catching up with Shushann after my time away and what better place than Watson's Bay.  We had planned for Frenchies but took the wrong turn off.  Some things are meant to be!