The tour was fantastic and everything that we hoped it would be. We were collected early and taken to the dock where we were served tea’s and coffees before boarding the boat. The two hosts that skippered the boat were absolutely hilarious and made the day that little bit more special. A particular point of interest was a small group of Japanese tourists, who managed to delay the tour at every point due to them not listening or choosing not to understand. The two host made the most out of having some banter with them.
Our first stop was at a small reef on the northern side of Whitsunday Island, where we could snorkel. We were all offered the option of wearing a wetsuit to keep ourselves warm. All the Australian, Japanese and American tourists opted to take the wetsuit and the crew were amazed that none of the British and Irish tourists would wear them. I mean the sea was like taking a warm bath, why would we need wetsuits? Amber decided that she was going to stay on the boat and make the most of the sunshine as she had not been feeling 100% for the last few days. I think in the long run this was the better option, I jumped in, the snorkeling was good, but having been lucky enough to swim in the Great Barrier Reef only a week before hand it didn’t really compare. I was lucky enough however to swim into a pack of Jelly Fish. I took one look at a group of about 10, and very quickly returned back to the boat to join Amber in the sun.
The next stop was really what we had gone on the trip to see, Whitehaven Beach. This has been voted the second best beach in the world and it was clear to see why. The sands are the whitest I have ever seen and the water was so clear you could see the bottom even when about 15 meters deep. The sea wildlife was amazing and we were lucky enough to see stingray, however we learnt that this was not that uncommon as 35,000 stingrays travel to the islands each year to breed. The sand on Whitehaven beach is 98% pure sand and when you walk on it, it squeaks underneath your feet which is a very surreal experience. It is so pure that you can actually use the sand to polish jewellery. We took a short walk up to a viewing point, where our tour guide explained that originally the Whitsundays were inhabited by Aboriginals. During the 1800’s the white man pushed them off the islands and they no longer have anything to do with them. In fact the Aboriginals now actually consider the Whitsundays to be bad luck. The Whitsundays have now been placed under a World Heritage site which means that no construction will ever be allowed to take place. At the viewing point we had some photos taken. It was explained to us that this is in the top 5 most photographed places in Australia.
Lunch was served on the southern side of Whitehaven Beach. This could have possibly been the most beautiful and romantic lunch location had it not been for the 30 seagulls that decided to invite themselves along. I was not very happy as they seemed to have it in for my plate of food and not Amber, who just sat there and laughed at me.
After lunch we boarded the boat that was to take us back to the mainland. While on the journey home we passed Hamilton Island, a very posh and exclusive island which has been designed for the honeymoon couple. On the way back the skipper decided to have some fun with another boat, where they used each other’s wake to jump the boats and power slide them. Before the final big power slide we were asked to all hold on tight (something the Japanese decided not to listen to). The skipper power slide the boat so hard that two of Japanese who were not holding on flew across the boat and I’m sorry to say copped a face full of my elbow. I think they may listen next time!!!
The Whitsundays are incredible and our only real regret is that we didn’t have longer to see them. If we return to the area we will definitely be booking ourselves onto a two or three day sailing cruise.
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