Chapter 4 - Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef, Australia

After Fraser Island we hopped a bus overnight up north to a little backpacker town called Airlie Beach. Our boat, the Pacific Star, left the next evening. It was primarily a boat for scuba diving with nice big deck and sleeps 20 people.

Here is a picture of the rooms. Very cramped but we barely spent any time down here. I remember it being nice sleeping with the rocking of the boat and the sounds of the water slapping against the hull. The first stop in the morning was Whitehaven beach. I learned that the degree of whiteness of sand is determine by the percentage of silica. I'd guess that Pacific Beach has about a 50% silica level. Lake McKenzie (from the previous chapter) is supposed to have 80%. This Whitehaven beach had 99% silica. I doubt any sand in the world can get whiter. It shined like on a bright snowy day.

There was a 1/2 mile hike up a trail to a spot with a good lookout where you could see the way the beach snakes into Whitsunday island.

This area gradually changes because the tide is either flowing in or out. It seems like a very shallow river with pools forming and schools of tiny fish. I also saw my first manta ray.

Once back on the boat, the certified scuba divers started to get suited up for their first dive. Scuba Steve here was cool and competent. I put on my snorkel and hopped in the water not really knowing what to expect. When I got down there I was totally stunned. The coral was everywhere. Huge formations and fish were everywhere. Were not talking hundreds, or thousands. Millions of living creatures! I was kind of hypnotized by the infinite level of detail and diversity of wild looking fish and bright coral. I probably saw 300 different types of fish and coral in an area the size of a small city block. Some of the highlights were a huge Manta Ray that was about 50 feet from me. It had to be about 5 feet accross its wings. I also saw a shark about 4-5 feet long. I remember sensing it was more highly evolved and intelligent than the other fish, and it seem to move with confidence. I also saw a few sea turtles. They have the most relaxed demeanor. They don't swim away when you follow them, they just look at you and swim along at a leisurely pace. I followed this big one for about ten minutes. Its shell was probably big enough to barely wrap your arms around, but I didn't try. I also saw Nemo. Good news, both his parents were with him so that was just acting in the movie. The underwater pictures were taken by our dive guide. They give only a hint of what I saw, but they should give you all a taste.

This one night we anchored at this sweet spot where we could see the sun go down. It was the first time I'd seen the sun go down over water since I got here.

After the third night we had to head back to Airlie Beach Marina. It was an incredible experience and you all should try to check it out sometime. Stay tuned for what happens next in Airlie Beach, Cairns, and Cape Tribulation rainforest.

-Thanks for Reading-