Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays. 20th-22nd December

Ok, so we have been very bad at updating our blog since we left Cairns. This is due to 1. laziness 2. hopping about a lot on our travels 3. a lack of internet/or rubbish internet which is slow!

Excuses over! We travelled from Cairns down to Airlie beach where we stayed at Magnums backpackers. The vibe was really chilled and we instantly loved it! Airlie Beach is only really one strip with everything you need. On the 1st day we checked in with the sailing company for our 2 day trip the following day and headed along the beach to find where we needed to be early in the morning. The walk took us right along the coastline starting at the beach, along a board walk with beautiful views and then onto the harbour filled with amazing yachts. On our way back we took a walk around their lagoon (as you cant swim in the sea here due to jellyfish) which was good. There lagoon was actually bigger than the one in Cairns which was strange considering it is a smaller place.
We sat in the bar and had a couple of drinks while listening to a live duet playing covers and headed to bed ready for an early start.

We waited eagerly to board the boat- of course i had no idea what to expect and without knowing which boat we were on i kept asking neil' "is it that one?' If you could see the boats i was pointing at you would wet yourself. I actually must think we are millionaires as i pointed out the lush, luxury yachts!
We walked down the gangwayto our boat 'The Siska' a small....(i couldnt understand how 22 people would fit and SLEEP on here) racing boat which looked so small it was hidden by the other cruisers in the harbour :) We were both taller than the boat when stood next to it (minus the sails of course)
Shoes off, beer in Eski we headed to the cabin area to sort out bed arrangements. Slightly cramped and with a french couple on top of us- (like a double bunkbed except smaller)
Met our skipper and 2 man crew, Craig, Ash and Shona and relaxed on the deck as we passed fantastic views. Our first stop was a snorkel/dive spot. Neil went off on a separate speed boat to complete a dive and waited onboard with our new friend Nick, to get wetsuited up ready for a snorkel. A small boat took us away from the Siska where we jumped off with our snorkels to explore. Luckily Neil was back from his dive at this point so I could pester him!!!! Not being a big fan of the open ocean I had a short swim and snorkel, seeing lots of beautiful fish, before getting Craig to bring the small boat back to take me back to the Siska. Getting in the small boat was a challenge in itself. Neil should have filmed me trying to HOIST myself into this boat! hmmmmmm.....

The fish, a.k.a Neil, continued snorkelling and exploring the reef. Back on the boat we had a super lunch and relaxed again whilst continuing to sail. As I was watching over the front of the boat, everyone on board began pointing. In front were a small grou of dolphins swimming towards the boat. I stayed at the front and they came swimming for a minute or two with the splashes at the front. We then stopped in Tongue Bay where we would be anchored for the night to sleep. As the sunset we watched giant turtles surface to the top to get air, we must have seen 40. It was a great sight.

Sleep wasnt so great. It was really hot and cramped. We tried to have an earlyish night but others carried on drinking (so we could hear them) and we couldnt get comfortable in the heat at all. In the night we went to the deck where it was much cooler,but the floor was too hard to sleep on. Neil eventually did go and sleep on the deck and awoke to think he could hear an intruder trying to get aboard the boat. Luckily he decided not to wake the crew...it was our skipper coming back after a night fishing trip!!!!!

The next morn we got off the boat and went to Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday island. Truly amazing. The best beach we have ever seen. Pure white sand and blue sea. We walked in the shallows with stingrays and I even saw a lemon shark (neil didnt ha ha)
Back on the boat and another incredible lunch cooked by Shona. We sailed back towards the main land stopping on the way for another snorkel. I was convinced I didnt want to go but with everyone saying they could see turtles i was determined to get a look in! We both managed to snorkel and find a turtle sitting in the reef. It eventually surfaced and swam very close to Nick for ages! I didnt stay too much longer in the sea but stayed with Craig on the small boat and managed to get more glimpses of other turtles in the area.

So homeward bound......a fantastic 2 day trip in paradise. That evening, a very tired group met for drinks in a bar. We exchanged emails with a few and had a good chat. That night we left Airlie Beach on a night bus to Hervey Bay.