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Snorkeling a the Whitsunday Islands | Airlie Beach

What an amazing day I had! I booked the snorkel trip at the very last minute and it all worked out! I found this company on Trip Advisor and then looked it up on Google. They had a 4.9 rating on Trip Advisor so even though my first choice was no longer available, I felt this company should be good.

The website said I had to be at the marina at 8:30am but the email confirmation said 8am. I also thought the website said the tour started at 9. So I set the alarm for 7:40. I was hoping to have breakfast but there was no toaster for my raisin bread and in retrospect that’s a good thing. I left the apartment at about 8 and had to go down to the pool first to grab towels. The walk to the marina took 5 minutes so I was there by 8:15. Good thing I got there when I did! As soon as I collected my stinger suit, boarding began and we took off at 8:30! Cutting it close.

There was about 25 people on the boat including a captain and a guide. Most of the people there were with family, friends or as a couple. The boat was super fast! At one point we got to 37 knots. The captain did some donuts and other fast maneuvers that had everyone hanging in for dear life. We stopped at Daydream Island to pick up 2 couples who were staying at the small island with only 1 hotel. I sneaked a peek at the hotel reviews on Google and it doesn’t sound like a great place – very run down in sum. We quickly departed that island and went another 30-45 minutes to Hook Island. Our first snorkeling spot.

The water was a little chilly going in but at time I’d catch a warm spot. And no, not because someone peed there. The coral was amazing! The fish were cool too! This part of the Great Barrier Reef is SO much better and alive than anything I’ve seen in Hawaii. Lots of cool fish. I recognized the parrot fish. I tried to take pics using my camera in a waterproof case but they didn’t come out so well. Something happened to my GoPro whereby it wasn’t working properly so I used my phone as a backup. I think we snorkeled there for an hour.

Then it was on to the next spot about 5 minutes away which was my favorite. The amount of fish was insane! Plus there were a good variety and the coral was beautiful too. I need to look up the names of the huge fish I saw! I know one is called a Bat Fish. Can’t remember what the huge black fish is called but it was HUGE! We snorkeled here for about 45 minutes or so. I was STARVING and wondering why we didn’t get the gluten free brownie that was in the itinerary. Thankfully on our way to the next stop the guide passed around these coconut covered bars of something. Delicious but such a tease!

That was the last snorkeling of the day. Our next stop was about 20 minutes away and would be a hike up to these lookouts over the sand formations on Whitsunday Island. I wasn’t really feeling like a hike and when I heard there were 300 stairs involved, I decided I would hang at the beach instead. So I went with the captain as he drove the boat to another beach that would also be our lunch spot. As soon as we got to the beach the captain pointed out all of the sting rad and lemon sharks in the water! He said neither is dangerous as long as you don’t fuck with them. Noted! So while the rest of the group was hiking I got out of the boat and wandered around. The sand is practically indescribable. SO soft! It was almost like a very soft mud/wet powdered sugar kinda. When I got off the boat I was in a sandbar area that had 2 inches of water to about 3 feet. All very shallow. And every time I turned around I saw either a lemon shark or a sting ray! I’ve never seen a sting ray in the wild before so that wA really cool. And the lemon sharks were really small. The captain said they were babies. They ranged in size from about 1-3 feet at most. They could care less that I was there. Amen. I walked around the water and took a lot of pics. When the group returned lunch was served. Not my favorite? Everyone got a boxed lunch that consisted of a salad topped with a piece of turkey, a slice of salami and a slice of ham. Plus spicy noodles and potato salad. Not really my thing but I had enough so I wasn’t starving. I had put my yeti and towel on the beach when we first got there so I went back to them with my lunch. It was very peaceful by myself. Most of the group ate on the boat. I was surrounded by birds who wanted my lunch but I refrained from feeding them. After lunch I decided to spend the rest of my time there laying out. It was really relaxing. And at 2:15 it was time to depart. The captain did a few crazy maneuvers again and hauled ass to get those couples back to their island and then we finally reached our marina at about 3:15. It was a pray to spend the day! It was mostly overcast all day – no rain – so I wouldn’t have wanted to sit by the pool or go to the beach locally. So it all worked out!

I got back to the apartment and had a very refreshing shower. I made a reservation for 7pm at this place called Northerlies it was good but not at all what I expected. You order your food at a station up front and then you go to the bar and get your drink there. They bring you the food. I had the schnitzel of course. And I was start! The best part of the meal may have been the salad topped but it was good. And the best part is I was able to bolt right after I ate because I had already paid for it!

Btw, I feel like everything in Australia is expensive. my schnitzel was $30 (Australian dollars) and my cocktail was $24! Thankfully their dollar is not worth as much as the US dollar so it works out fine for me but I would imagine Australians think a lot of stuff is expensive. Maybe because there really isn’t a tipping practice here. But the suntan lotion I bought at the grocery store – just some banana boat – was $22! That’s a lot imo.

Anyway I wanted a snack for later so I went to the Woolworth grocery store. It’s weird – that was the second grocery store I went to in Australia that was located in a mall.

Well I am back at the resort apartment and will relax for a bit and pack my stuff. I hit the road in the morning for a 7+ hour drive to Cairns!