salty experiences

Driving up the Northeastern side of Australia, it would be a shame if we didn't get out to see the Great Barrier Reef area. So, while Storey was living out his childhood dream on a 2 night sailing trip, I took a shorter day trip through the Whitsunday Islands aboard the Reefjet.

Our first stop was at a snorkeling and diving spot. I decided to try scuba diving for the first time. I didn't know if I really wanted to go under the water and Storey doubted that I would actually dive, so I had something to prove to he and myself! I was the only person on my boat to dive for the first time, so I had an instructor, Iain, all to myself, which was nice. It made me feel extra safe. I put on a stinger suit to protect me from the jellyfish and give me some buoyancy. Then came all the scuba gear which is super heavy!

Before I knew it, I was jumping in the water, learning how to empty my mask of water, and catch my regulator if it would fall out of my mouth. Then it was time to dive. I was a bit scared. I'm not sure why. The breathing didn't seem to be a problem for me, but I suppose I was exploring entirely new territory that was dark and a bit spooky got to me a bit. The first half of the dive I was thinking about what I was doing how I was breathing. The second half I feel like I was finally able to look around and see all the amazing creatures around me. The Reef is quite alive with corals, huge clams with big purple lips and tons of schools of fish. It was surreal and amazing! After we came out of the water, the dive master on the boat said he had seen a white finned shark. I missed that!

The second stop was at Whitsunday Island, in a little cove where green sea turtles frequent the water. I saw two huge ones poke their necks out of the water. These turtles can stay down 5-6 hours at a time, but when active you may see the same one every hour, or two. At this stop we took a pontoon boat to the island for a short, one kilometer, walk up to a lookout toward Whitehaven Beach. The walk was nice and the lookout is the 4th most photographed spot in Australia.

When we pulled into this bay, Storey's sailboat was also taking a stop there. We nearly saw each other, but missed each other by about 15 minutes. If nothing else, it was nice to get a picture of our boats in the same frame!

Whitehaven Beach is one of the most pristine silica beaches in the world. The rumor is that 50 ton of sand from this beach was given to the Hubble Telescope project and when it was messed up, the Australian government denied the project from taking anymore of it's National Park's sand. The sand is a result of the coral in the area and two plates rubbing together to create a "washing machine" effect. Coral from the Reef area is pulled in, ground up, and washed up on the beach here. It is fine and great for exfoliation, cleaning jewelry, and sinking your feet into!

The actual beach was our final stop on our trip. The boat pulled right up to the shore, so we all put on our stinger suits, hopped off the back, and waded about 5 meters to the shore. Some played cricket, took walks, sat in the sun, or built sand castles. I sat and wrote in my journal for awhile and then hung out in the boat to stay out of the sun.

The trip back seemed long, but it was a nice afternoon to be boating through the beautiful islands and seen the amazing blues and turquoise of the Coral Sea.