Wednesday 21st May
I was up at 06.15, got myself ready for another days diving and said goodbye to some of the guys that were leaving on the ER bus towards Broome. I was sorry to see them go as they were great fun but I also had a lot of fun stuff to do before I left Exmouth myself. I was picked up by the Ningaloo Reef Dreaming bus at 07.30, this time by a Scottish guy called Wayne, and the bus was full compared to the dive the previous day. It worked out that there was about twelve people diving on the Muiron Islands site that day.
One of the crowd was a lad from Waterford called Sean and we got on well, so we were 'buddied up' for the day. Again, there were three dives on three separate sites: 'Fraggle', Whale Bone' and 'Coral Bowl'. There was less fishlife on the Muiron Islands sites than on Ningaloo Reef, but the coral was amazing, beautiful big rock gardens with many small 'swim-throughs' that allowed us to explore the nooks and crannies of the reef. Despite the lack of fish, we managed to see some pretty cool stuff, not least the majestic manta ray that swam above us near the surface of the water, an absolutely awesome sight!
It had been another very good day, well run and with a good, friendly crew. I got back to the hostel and tried desperately to find somewhere that was showing the Champions League Final, which was to be shown at 02.45 WA time. It wasn't until about 19.30 that I spotted a bunch of lads having dinner at the camp kitchen, a couple of whom were wearing United tops, so I asked them what their plans were for the game. I had heard reports around the site that a group of backpackers had booked into a cabin (with a TV) especially for this game. It turned out that these were the people, and they offered me a slightly furtive invitation to watch the game, provided I didn't let on to anyone else. n some ways, it was like we were trying to organise a prison escape, all whispers and knowing glances. I asked them whether my Italian friend Daniele could come along as well, and they agreed....game on!
I was very relieved to know that I wasn't going to miss the CL Final, one of the most important games for United regardless of who the competition is, but especially so considering it was against Chelsea and a win would clinch yet another Double. I just chilled out for a while with Daniele, and got a few hours sleep before my alarm went off at 02.30. I knocked on Daniele's door and we walked over to the cabin where the lads were staying, and we could hear the noise coming from it as we approached. They were fairly well pissed, having been drinking for a good few hours. The group included Dean, Nick and Stewart from Brighton, and Glen and Bob from Newry, a couple of United fans amongst them. They were getting quite boisterous and already had a few complaints about the noise from some of the neighbours, and this was before the match had even kicked off. I knew it was going to be a long night and I just hoped that they kept a lid on it until the game was over.
The match itself was surprisingly enjoyable but also hughely nervy for me. I was over the moon when United won, and I couldn't believe they actually won it on penalties, especially when it looked like Chelsea were going to win it when Ronaldo missed his spot-kick. Then John Terry stepped up, slipped on his arse and handed the Double to United. As the penalties were being taken, a security guard was hammering on the door, while the English lads shouted at him to fuck off! It felt like it was going to get out of hand! One of the guys was threatening to upturn the table that was covered in empty beer bottles whether United won it or not, he was keen on a bit of violence by the look on his reddening face; he had a real appetite for destruction, so there was going to be some sort of bother whether it was due to celebration or commiseration. As soon as the last penalty went in, Daniele and I legged it out of the cabin, past the security guard and back to where our rooms were. We were planning on staying for a few days longer and didn't want to get caught up in it otherwise we would have been out on our ears as well!
I was elated at the victory, and sat in the silence of the night to savour the moment. Donal called me from home and he was giddy with excitement, shouting and screaming in delight down the phone, it was hilarious! I had got up in the middle of the night to watch many of the matches over the previous couple of months, and it now felt like it was all worth it. I went to bed at 06.00 that morning a very happy man.
