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So another 10am check-out and a beautiful morning greeted us on the next moving day on our trip. After a short bus back to the ferry port and a 30min ferry we were back on the main island waiting for our bus to Airlie Beach (The gateway to the Whitsundays Islands). On route to Airlie beach we stopped for a couple of photo opportunities showing the beautiful landscape that was a blur from our bus window. Finally at 5.30pm we arrived in Airlie Beach and checked into our 5 bed dorm, dumped our bags on a bed, grabbed a shower and headed to the bar for some dinner. We met up with Ben and Debbie again who had travelled down the same day and also our roommate Rachel (Who just by chance had already met Ben and Debbie further up the coast!). After some food and a free beer we turned in for the night.
Our first morning in Airlie started slowly enjoying a small lie in and not having to rush to check out. The day was very relaxed with only a few real jobs to do including checking in for our boat trip the following day, walking to then harbor to see where we had to catch the boat and laundry (Exciting times!). In the evening, our new roommate Ash who works in the mines in the north suggested a few drinks. After popping out for some food we returned to the room to find a note on my bed say "Booze in the Fridge . . . Bottoms Up!" and wondered what we had let ourselves in for! Ash returned and we started drinking a few cans, also inviting Ben and Debbie round to join us. The night was a good laugh but kept quite tame as didn't want a hangover, especially if we were getting on a boat for 3 days.
The second day began by walking down the boat check-in office where we were storing our large bags while on the boat and valuables in the safe. After this we grabbed a quick bite to eat before walking round to the harbor meeting point for 11.30am and the beginning off our boat trip. As we sat waiting to be greeted we got chatting to a few people on our boat before having the first chance to see out home for the next 2 nights. Wings 3 was a 16m long catamaran, sleeping max 25 people along with 3/4 crew. She also had a hot tub, on-board scuba and diving equipment and 3m rib for dropping off divers. Shortly after, lead driving instructor and 1st mate Richie arrived to welcome us to the boat, collect our booze (Bring your own) and complete our customer information forms. Once all completed we headed down the boat, handed in our footwear and boarded the boat for the first time. We only had 15 people compared to most trips of 25 so we had plenty of room to move around (If I'm honest, I wouldn't like to stay onboard if it was full as it must be a very tight squeeze!). Once on board we were introduced to our captain Pete and 2nd mate Sammy before being shown our rooms. We had a double in the front section of the boat along with another couple in a double and 3 guys in singles - let's just say it was cozy! The bed was also your bag storage, changing room and personal space. Once everyone was happy he headed up to the main dining area for a safety briefing then onto the front (bow) to enjoy our first sailing experience on the boat. It took just over 2hours to get to our first snorkeling spot alongside the Langford Spit, just off Hayman Island. As soon as we were moored up, we were in our wetsuits and experiencing the reef's for the first time. The colours were incredible with so many fish, the water was just above head height and the visibility was great. I had my Gopro camera with me which is fully water -proof and after 20mins I got the best chance to use it. As we swam along, Nikki grabbed my arm and point just in front to a large turtle gracefully swimming along eating the small jelly fish. It was an amazing sight, not startled or spooked by us swimming along filming it. Later in that dive we saw another smaller turtle and lots of brightly coloured fish and coral. After a while we grabbed a lift of the rib back to the boat to relax and grab a drink - what a first dive! Once everyone was back on board we moved the boat to our first nights mooring spot at Stonehaven. In the evening we had dinner cooked for us (Real food - BBQ chicken, potato bake and salad with a chance for 2nds, 3rds and 4thsJ). Following this was a slide show from Richie showing the different species of fish we would be encountering and what to look out for. After this we had a few drinks with fellow passengers before turning in for bed.
Our first night sleep wasn't the best, during the night the wind picked up to 20knots so we started rocking and rolling. Also the noise of the waves hitting the boat just behind our head got louder, fortunately we were exhausted after our long days so very quickly would fall back to sleep.
Our first full day on the boat started at 7am with an awesome continental breakfast before heading to our first snorkeling sight of the day - Manta Ray Bay. There's no way really to describe the feeling of putting on a wet, cold wetsuit at 8am before plunging into 18degree water! After taking some advice from Richie both Nikki and I put two wetsuits on and it made the world of difference. Manta Ray bay was stunningly beautiful and yet completely different from the first snorkeling sight. There was no sand here and the water was a lot deeper around the coral. A couple of people spotted a manta ray off the boat but by the time we had got to where it was sighted, it had gone or so we thought. Thirty seconds later it floated gracefully out of the darkness and under us all before slipping away. It was amazing and I managed to get 1 shot of it before it disappeared. They are deceptively quick and with one flick of the wings for pull a 3m gap from you to him. Again once everyone was back onboard we sailed round to our second snorkeling spot Luncheon Bay (my favorite). Before we got in the water we were told about a few features of the reef including the main areas where the rays were and where the "City of Nemo's". The water here was a lot colder so quite a few people decided not to snorkel here. After being dropped off on the "City of Nemo's" it was very quickly apparent there was a lot more life here than the other snorkeling stops! The reef was full of fish - small, large, stripped, dotted . . If you can think of a fish, it was there! (Except Cod or Haddock). The city of Nemo's was a coral island sitting like a mushroom out the floor bed, covered in coral and surrounded by clown fish - not quite as bright as finding Nemo but just as beautiful. Just as I left the city of Nemo's I heard a massive scream from the boat and a large Manta Ray was spotted just meters from me. It was huge with two fish clinging on to its back. I managed to follow it, filming it before Richie arrived and dived down to swim with alongside, possibly my favorite part of the trip!
After our second dive of the day we sailed for 3 hours round the head to Whitsundays Island and Whitsundays Beach. For those who don't know, Whitsundays beach has the whitest sand on the planet (98% pure silica). People use it to clean their teeth / Jewellery and NASA used to it make the Hubble Telescope lens. Unfortunately the wind picked up and the water got very rough on the sail around the island, a few people were sick and for the most of it the boat was silent. (Amy would have lasted 30seconds before we saw her breakfast again!). Once we were in the bay behind Whitsundays, the surrounding Islands protected us from the wind and the water once again turned to a sheet of glass. Before departing for the beach we grabbed quick lunch and packed a small day bag with towels, food, water etc. for the afternoon. Once on the Island, we posed for some funny group photos and then walked up to the Hill Inlet Lookout. The view was amazing; it was low tide so the white sand was visible all over the beach and small lagoons were left home to small reef sharks and rays - there shadow outlines visible from the lookout. Once more, we posed for some group and individual photo's before walking down to the beach for an afternoon of fun. The sand was so clean that it squeaks when you walk on it. After Fiji beaches I thought that I had seen the nicest beach I would ever see but Whitsundays takes your breath away! Once on the beach, Sammy took photos of us all messing around with different poses - human pyramid, jumping, holding people. It was a great afternoon and before long we were heading back to the boat. Once on board, myself and a South African friend called David jumped in off the Front to wash the sand off before setting sail to our mooring point of Cave Cove. The wind had subsided, so most people sat on the front, watching the spectacular sunset over the water and surrounding island. Sammy made Nacho's for a pre-dinner snack as we were starving by the time we were back on the boat. It took a couple of hours to reach Cave Cove and by the end we were sailing in the dark. Once safely moored up we had dinner of spaghetti bolognas, wedges, corn-on-the-cob and salad, awesome. Again in the evening we looked at the photos from the day before having a few drinks on the sofas in the dining area. That night you could barely tell you were on a boat, the water was so still so everyone slept well.
On our final morning we were woken at 6.30 for our breakfast and had a chance to snorkeling before setting sale for Airlie Beach. Both Nikki and I decided to give it one last go, but viability was not that great due to the over cast sky, at least the swim woke us both up. Our final sale back to land was very windy, gust reaching 40knots but by this point everyone had there sea legs so no one was sick. The crossing took just under 2 hours, once in the safety of the harbor walls we had our final briefing with the crew and thanked them all for a great trip. Facebook details were swapped so photos could be shared and people went their separate ways. Nikki and I couldn't check back into out accommodation until 1pm so headed back into town for some fish and chips before sitting on the beach for a couple of hours. After collecting our bags and re-checking into our hostel we relaxed in our room sorting photos and sorting our bags. We decided to up-grade to a double room for a small extra charge just to have our own space to sort our things and relax in. That night the boat reserved a table at a local bar where we ate dinner with our fellow passengers, some couldn't make it due to future travel plans but there were 12 of us there, Richie also joined us from the boat. The evening was great, we were giving some free drinks and we had vouchers to use up so it was cheap as well. It wasn't too long before the long day's caught up with is and we turned in for bed before heading to Emu Park in the morning.
From Airlie Beach with Love
Ben and Nikki x
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