Whitehaven Beach

Been in the Whitsunday for the past two months and I haven't even seen what it has to offer. I've been on this island and haven't been to any others yet. Which is sorta sad. But that changed last week when I had a good friend of mine come visit from the Gold Coast. Charmaine came up when she had time off from work and we went on a boat to the great barrier reef where we snorkeled amongst the corral and played on the beach of Whitehaven, which is one of the most renowned beaches in the world.

We left Abel Point Marina at 8am for an all day adventure that started with a glass botton boat ride over some of the reef. The reef was such a great sight. It was far different from when I went off the jetty on my island. These reefs were like the ones in the movies, all different colors surrounded by fish that looked like Nemo. The boat ride was cool and I got my first glimpse of the beautifully famous Great Barrier Reef. We then headed to a spot where we were given stinger suit and snorkels to explore on our own. This was very neat. Charmaine was a pro at this. She was dipping and diving everywhere like a freaking dolphin while I was choking on water that got in my snorkel.

But in the end I did spot the only turtle out of the whole group. This bugger was big with a large shell on his back and giant flipper arms that propelled him through the water. I dove down underwater with him and swam directly on top of him, but he wasn't having any of it...he quickly gave me a looking that was nothing short of an "F YOU".

The fish that we saw while snorkeling were amazing. There were hundreds of them all swimming amongst us, blue ones, green ones, stripped, neon...all types. The guides where throwing bread in the water only inches in front of our snorkel, so we honestly got an up close look at them. I tried to snatch a couple but my quick hands were no match for there slimmy scales.

We ate a buffet lunch that I found extremely filling...filling enough to not eat another single thing for the rest of the day. We ate lunch while we drove to Whitehaven beach. Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos, I had this sinking feeling that my brand new camerae was going to take a dive in the water or the sand if I brought it off the boat. But Google "Whitehaven Beach" and take a look at the photos. It's gorgeous. It reminded me a lot of Lake MacKenzie on Fraser Island with the white silicon sand and the clear blue water. We hung out at Whitehaven for a couple hours and watched planes and helicopters shuffle tourists on private excursions. One day I'll have my own sea plane that'll take me to remote beaches...one day.

We ended our trip with a visit to Long Island, another island in the cluster of 74 in the Whitsundays group. We didn't spend much time there, but it was good to see another resort that compares to mine.

I still feel like I didn't see everything there was to see throughout the area of islands, but this trip sure helped me see the main attractions. Charmaine was a wonderful guest to have along, and with her being Australian, I didn't quite feel like every other tourist on the trip. I felt like I had my own personal guide. One day I'll be back to explore many more of the islands, but in the mean time, I like knowing that the sights I saw everyday while working in the Whitsundays will be just as memorable.