I too use aquatic form a lot but I waited until Lvl 18-20 to get it.
I am also one of those druids that uses travel forms almost all the time (as opposed to a mount).
I setup my "travel form" macro that puts me in the most appropriate form depending on the situation.
Example:
Hit Travel form macro while in water shift to aquatic
Hit Travel form macro while on land shift to travel form (cheetah)
Hit Travel form macro while on land and in Outland shift to swift flight form (this one is still giving me grief and doesn't always work)
Druid Macros I would get a friend or two to help do the quest
Lock for underwater breathing
Mage to save on travel time to SW --> Westfall and back to Darnassus (God I love portals!)