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Well, I know you're probably sick of hearing the same thing over and over, but it's simply the truth... Today has been awesome!! Again!! We had a day out, on and around the Whitsunday Islands, and it was an experience that we all thoroughly loved. We smiled and laughed all day, and we all agree, it's been one of the best experiences of the trip so far. It went like this...
Last night, we met up with Greg and Naomi, who are the owners of the park we're at, and whom we get along with really well. We caught up with them at a wine and cheese night they put on at the park, and we were talking to them about our plans while we were here, and what we were wanting to do. They strongly recommended Ocean Rafting as an excellent day out, one that was suitable for both kids and adults, and one that gave an overall experience of what the Whitsundays have to offer. So, we took their advice, and went to the office to book the tour for today...
Ocean Rafting... What is it? Well, the best way to describe it is a big aluminium tinny, with the inflatable skirt around the edge, and a canopy over the top. The boat carries about 20 people, the driver is situated in the middle, and the passengers are seated in rows in front and behind him. Mounted on the back end are two 250hp V6 Yamaha motors, which push the boat along at speeds up to 50 knotts (90kph). We were speed limited in the Whitsundays to 25 knotts (45kph), which we were doing most of the day, and it was bloody fast. The day started out quite windy, which worried us at first, because it meant it was going to be cold on the water. No one likes swimming or snorkelling when it's cold, and it just makes the trip there and back miserable. It was a glorious day out of the wind, and the sun was quite warm, but in the wind was chilly. The tour guides though, said it's a perfect day for ocean rafting, and that we'd soon forget about the wind and the chill when we were on the boat. Keep our jumpers on though, cause we might get a bit wet... As we loaded, the guys told us the bumpy seats were up the front and the smoother ride was down the back. Not knowing what to expect, we played it safe and chose a seat in the back. After everyone was seated, they then explained that the front seats were the dry seats, and the back seats were the wet seats!! And we did get a bit wet too. The plan for the tour was to leave Airlie, and travel across the Molle Passage to the northern end of Hook Island, where we would stop at our first snorkelling spot called Luncheon Bay. The trip over was fast, all the way, all the time. There was a fairly large swell, caused by the 15 - 20 knott winds, but that just added to the fun. The boat has a perfect power to weight ratio, meaning it just launched itself off one crest, straight over to the crest of the next wave, and down the other side. We were airborne lots of the time, you could tell from the noise the motors made out of the water. We'd drive right along the top of a ridge of a wave, surfing it for as long as it went in our direction, and then drop off the back side, and push up and through the front face of the next wave. Water and spray flew in and over the sides constantly, and although we were lucky enough to have chosen some sheltered seats, the people either side and behind us got drenched. But nobody stopped smiling. The combination of the speed, the swell, the noise and the bumps and jumps was fantastic.
Luncheon Bay is a sheltered fringe reef on the northern side of Hook Island. We were given wetsuits, not because the water was cold, it wasn't at 25 degrees, but so we could prolong our enjoyment without becoming cold too soon. We were given snorkels and masks, but not fins, as they're the biggest cause of coral destruction on the reef these days. We were also given pool noodles, just to aid in flotation, and keep us on top of the water without the use of fins. We weren't allowed to stand up at any time, unless we were in serious trouble, and the guys couldn't get to us in time. The coral here was awesome, as was the fish life. We saw a giant sea turtle, millions of fish, and towards the end, a massive manta ray swam right beside the boat, just there... We didn't see that on our whole day at the outer reef from Cairns, and we'd only been here 10 minutes. Jeremy of course, was the first one in the water, and right amongst the fish from the start. I went in with him, and Jo and Dylan followed along behind us. We all snorkelled for a while, and it truly was wonderful, out of the wind, with warm water, and glorious coral and fish to look at, all around us. Just magic. Dylan got cold as he normally does, so he and Jo went back to the small coral beach and watched Jeremy and I, and played with the coral pieces. All too soon, the guys were calling us back to the boat, so we could move on to our next location...
This time, we travelled around the top of Hook Island, and down the east coast to another snorkelling spot called Manta Ray Bay. Now, Manta Ray Bay doesn't have the explosion of coral that's at Luncheon Bay, but because it's a sheltered, sandy bottom cove, private yachts and charter boats have been mooring here for years. As they've been mooring here, they've been feeding the fish for years, and as a result, the fish are prolific. So the coral isn't as good, but the fish are amazing. And they're big... Really big... Jeremy and I went straight in again, and the fish were all around us, absolutely no fear whatsoever. As we snorkelled, the guys on the boat threw fish food in the water around us, and the fish went crazy. I swear to god, you could feel the fish swimming over the top of us to get the food. They'd bump right into us, and jump over the top, it was absolutely incredible, and an amazing experience. We were in deeper water here, and the much larger fish were underneath us, and we could see them swarming also, as the food dropped to the deeper parts of the reef... It was such an enjoyable experience, and one that we'll remember forever. But we'd had over an hour and a half in the water, and we'd started to feel the cold. Most others were already out of the water, on the boat getting dry and warm, and we followed along. As much as we'd both have loved to stay and swim with the fish some more, it was just too chilly. And Jo had chocolates...
We motored (fast) south along the east coast of Hook Island, through a passage of water called gods washing machine, towards Whitsunday Isalnd, the largest in the group. This was bumpy and exciting in the extreme, and provided heaps of entertainment and squealing from the front. We saw a whale breeching further out to sea, which was very exciting. Rugged up in our jumpers, warm again, and now out of the wind, it was a fantastic ride. Dylan had a big smile permanently etched across his face. We stopped again, on a sandy beach, and got off the boat for a short bushwalk to the top of a hill. The bushwalk came out at a lookout called Hill Inlet, and the view took our breath away! Hill Inlet is at the northern end of Whitehaven Beach, and is where the sea gradually winds it's way like a river, towards the centre of Whitsunday Island. It's beautiful, and the most photographed location in Queensland. Have a look at our photos, and the views from high up, with the white sand and the blue, blue water below, is Hill Inlet. This alone was worth the trip and the cost, it's just sensational. Everyone would love this!! We went down another path, onto the beach at Hill Inlet, where our boat was waiting for us. We were meant to have lunch here, on this beach, but it was too windy, and the guys decided to take us to the southern end of Whitehaven Beach, out of the wind. Which was good, because we got to see all of Whitehaven Beach, and spend an hour just sitting and enjoying the day. Lunch was provided by the tour, and was a great buffet of cold meats and salads and bread rolls, and after all our snorkelling and walking, was really enjoyable. The sand on Whitehaven Beach is 98.9% pure silica crystal, and the most pure silica beach in the world. When NASA made the Hubble telescope, they used sand from Whitehaven Beach. The silica is so pure, it reflects heat and doesn't absorb it. The beach never gets hotter than 23 degrees, even in the middle of the hottest summer, so you'll never burn your feet on it, but because it reflects heat so well, you'll get sunburn where you don't expect to, like under your armpits... It's just like walking on talcum powder, and the water is crystal clear... It's the perfect tropical beach...
On the journey home, the boys decided they'd like to sit in the front, and get a bit more of the bumpy action. The guys had already said that the seats were open for swapping around, and none of them were reserved, so we grabbed a seat close to the front, and settled in for the home stretch. It was phenomenal. It made the back seats seem lame by comparison. The bumps and jumps out of the water felt like we were flying, and then we'd plunge back to the waves, and surge up another one to do it all again... It's the most exhilarating ride we've had, where all four of us have been able to enjoy it together. We've done the Minjin Swing, but that was over in 30 seconds. Jez and I did quadbiking in the rainforest, but that was really slow compared to this. Ocean Rafting is full throttle, all the way. Waves don't slow you down, they just add to the excitement. They blast music out of the boats stereo, the motors are roaring, the wind is in your hair, there's salt spray all over you, and you're hanging on for dear life... It's sheer excitement and adrenalin, and we loved it!! If you ignore all of the other advice we've tried to pass on through our travels, don't ignore this... When you're in Airlie Beach, and you're wondering what you can do for a day, when you want to see the Whitsunday islands and have some fun and excitement, and when you're sick of large, over packed, high speed boats with views through windows, jump on an Ocean Raft!! You won't be sorry, and you won't forget it...
I know we won't!
- comments
Aunty min Ok airlie beach ocean raft. Ok got it noted
Ginny I agee with Min. Just had a look at the photos and this is definately something that needs to be done before your to old to enjoy. How clear is the water? How cool are the fish that came up close? Every photo made me smile and quite a few of them made me go wow. I'm so jealous but I'm determine to get there one day. Have fun, stay safe and big hugs to all. Love T&G