The Whitsundays had been highly recommended so off I went on a sailing trip, and everyone was so right, it was stunning. The islands are part of the Great Barrier Reef and have amazing marine life and beaches with sand so white it squeaks when you walk on it! (apparently it is 98% silica and because this is so special they made the Hubble telescope with it) You would think that by now I'd have found my sea legs, but sadly this is not the case! I chose a catamaran as I thought this would be more stable, but it turned out to be quite rough- so I spent many a night out on deck, gazing the the stars and taking deep breaths! Still, that was amazing in itself- the sky was always full of stars most of which I didn't recognise- except poor old Orion who was upside down! The snorkelling was even better than from Cairns- one site the coral was so pristine and I even saw Nemo and his family! Angel fish, rainbow parrot fish nibbling on the coral and a spiney looking Puffa fish were also highlights. I even did a scuba dive to 10m and stroked a seaslug! On the final early morning freezing snorkel, we were graced by the presence of two Green Sae Turltles- I couldn't beleive my eyes! They were so graceful and looked so grumpy, such a strange combination, it made me smile- never a good idea while snorkelling!